Ford Motor has started production of the all-new Focus Electric in Saarlouis, Germany.
The Focus Electric has been manufactured in North America since December 2011. It will be the first full-electric vehicle to be built by Ford in Europe. The automaker has invested €16 million to integrate Focus Electric production directly into the established Focus production line at Saarlouis.
The Focus Electric will be joined in Europe by the C MAX Energi plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) next year, followed by the all-new Mondeo Hybrid soon after.
The Focus Electric features an advanced electric motor and lithium-ion battery powertrain producing 143 PS and achieves a top speed of 136 km/h. The vehicle is equipped with a 6.6-kW fully integrated onboard charger that can deliver around 100 km driving range with 2-3 hours charging, and around 150 km driving range with 3-4 hours charging from a 32 A power supply, Ford said.
The Saarlouis-built Focus Electric will reach European customers from August 2013.
