Shrewd Marketing: Ford Shows Off Focus EV On Jay Leno Green Car Challenge

Understanding the Volt has spearheaded the drive for EV dominance in the U.S. market and despite where you fall on the issue, what is for certain, who frames the image, controls the market. Ford doesn't want to be left out of the loop.
We've already showed you the first images of a new battery electric Focus that Ford has built for the guests of the new Jay Leno Show to drive in his Green Car Challenge. Now Ford has also posted a video with some of the engineers showing off their handiwork. Once the team got the Euro-spec Focus electrified, it was time for the Ford Racing crew to charge it up. Andy Slankard, Engineering Supervisor at Ford Racing, describes the work done to prepare the car for its life on the small screen. While these show cars started life as Focus ST models, their new powertrain and the added mass of a 23 kWh battery pack meant the suspension needed some beefing up. With the battery pack sitting in the cargo hold in the rear, the weight balance was undoubtedly shifted towards the back. Nevertheless, the car still looks pretty good going through the autocross, as you'll see in the video after the jump. Thanks to Clifford for the tip!
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SteedPub - 9/18/2009 2:44:45 PM

+1 Boost

A much better star than Jay Leno. Like kids and animals, it will steal the show.

SpicyMikey - 9/19/2009 10:06:03 AM

+1 Boost

Saw that segment on Leno last night. Was disappointed. It's a small little track. Can't get much speed. Also, they had "obstacles" like cutouts of Al Gore. if you hit them they deducted 1 second from your time. Lame.

I was expecting a more realistic measure of the guests abilities. Something more in line with the Reasonable-priced-car lap on Top Gear. But then again, why should I have expected anything more on NBC primetime. Nothing clever here. Move along.