Ford's SVT Loads More Product Into Its High-Performance Arsenal

DEARBORN, Mich., July 15 Responding to the success of the three-door SVT Focus, Ford's Special Vehicle Team (SVT) will add an additional Focus model to its award-winning stable of high-performance cars: the 2003 five-door SVT Focus. The new offering melds SVT's performance and technology with the utility and packaging of Ford's popular Focus ZX5.

As SVT celebrates its 10th anniversary, the addition of the five-door SVT Focus rounds out the largest, most-diverse product line ever offered by Ford's high-performance group. The new five-door SVT Focus joins the 390-hp SVT Mustang Cobra coupe and convertible, the SVT F-150 Lightning -- the world's fastest production pickup -- and, of course, the recently launched three-door SVT Focus.

"Right now, SVT has more product, and better product, than at any other moment in its ten-year history, and our timing could not be better," said John Coletti, chief engineer of SVT. "We are in the middle of an industry-wide, high-performance renaissance. When I hear about other companies setting up performance shops like SVT, I always think, it's about time. This is the most exciting part of the business."

As the competition in the performance segment heats up, Ford's Special Vehicle Team will continue to be the industry's frontrunner, if also the target at which the newcomers are gunning.

In the past decade, SVT has established its name in the world of performance; it has become a profitable business group within Ford Motor Company and now boasts an owners' club, the SVT Owners Association (www.svtoa.com ) with more than 8000 members in nearly 50 chapters. SVT has sold more than 100,000 high-performance vehicles since 1993, each built true to the four hallmarks of the SVT design ethic: Performance, Substance, Exclusivity and Value.

SVT Focus: Fun, Fast and now with Four Doors

In terms of value, substance and performance, the SVT Focus is tough to beat. The specially tuned, 2.0L Zetec four-cylinder engine makes 170 hp and 145 lb-ft. of torque, all of which is fed through a dual-mass flywheel and into a Getrag six-speed manual transmission. The SVT-tuned suspension includes unique spring rates, dampers and bushings. Also enhancing the performance are Continental ContiSportContact tires wrapped around 17-inch five-spoke wheels, which expose some of the largest brakes available in this segment. The four-wheel disc brakes measure 11.8 inches in the front and 11.0 inches in the rear with ABS standard.

"The 2002 SVT Focus was a success from the moment it hit the pavement, so the expansion of the product line to include the five-door version just makes sense," said Tom Scarpello, marketing and sales manager for SVT. "With the addition of two more doors for easier access to the backseat, we are making the SVT Focus relevant to a new audience. Now, the performance enthusiast who needs the functionality of five doors can enjoy the hottest new car in the compact performance segment."

The SVT Focus exterior and interior themes from the three-door model will carry over into the five-door with little change. The exterior features include unique front and rear fascias, rear hatch spoiler, and body color- keyed side mirrors, rub strips and door handles. The five-door SVT Focus will retain the rocker panel moldings from the Focus ZX5.

The SVT Focus interior features front sport seats with leather-trimmed bolsters, along with cloth seating surfaces available in red or blue, depending on exterior color chosen (Sonic Blue, Infra-Red, CD Silver, and Pitch Black). The color theme continues into the rear seats and also the front and rear door panel inserts.

Changes to the 2003 SVT Focus model line, in addition to the five-door version, include a new high-intensity discharge (HID) headlamp option and a body-color rear hatch lift handle.

Ford SVT vehicles are sold through a network of SVT-certified Ford dealerships throughout the U.S. Customers can receive information on SVT and any of its product lines by calling 1-800-FORD-SVT or visiting online at www.svt.ford.com .