Ford Focus for 2012 revealed

Kicking off the 2010 Detroit Motor Show with a bang, Ford has unveiled its much sexier Focus, which won't be winging its way down under until 2012.

Hard details are a little thin on the ground at the moment, but Ford is promising that sale of the next generation Focus will begin in 2011 in Europe and the US, followed by Asia in 2012.

The underpinnings of this next-gen Focus will form the basis of a whole plethora of models. These include the sedan (above) and hatch, and will likely include a wagon too, as well as a convertible with a folding metal roof. It's also providing the basis of the C-Max and Grand C-Max mini-people movers, which were revealed at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.

According to the initial plans, the next-gen Focus was scheduled to be produced in Ford's Australian plant in Broadmeadows, Victoria.

However, due to a number factors, these plans were skittled in favour of a turbocharged four-cylinder Falcon. So, instead, the Focus will most likely be imported from Ford's plant in Thailand.

The Focus interior pictured here features Ford's MyFord Touch system — just unveiled at CES 2010 in Las Vegas — which marries touchscreen and voice control of navigation, entertainment and mobile phone systems.

Given the fact that Ford's much lauded Sync system, which allows for voice control of connected mobile phones and entertainment devices, has yet to make it out of North America, we're not entirely certain that MyFord Touch will make it to us down under.

The new Focus features the latest iteration of the Ford in-house "kinetic" style that melds flowing shapes with bold, slightly oversized features, such as these headlights.

First impressions suggest that the molten, over-sized tail-lights will take some getting used to. Not seen in this angle is how neatly they integrate with the fuel filler door.

Some models of the new Focus will come with a dual-clutch transmission — or PowerShift in Ford-speak.

A number of engines will be slotted into the new Focus. In Australia we're most likely to see a small four-cylinder turbo-diesel and turbocharged engine — dubbed EcoBoost — that's tuned for economy not power and a 2.0-litre direct-injection engine.

Come 2011, North American customers will have the chance to buy a fully electric Focus.

Given how badly the Mazda Premacy and Holden Zafira have fared in the past, it's unlikely that we'll see these small people movers in Australia.

More's the pity for us, because the Grand C-Max features sliding rear doors, which at once are both awkward and cool.