Ford Motor Co. unveiled its all-new Focus compact car on Monday, and a telling detail is a small bump on each of the vehicle's taillights.

These lips jut out just enough to interrupt the airflow around the back of the car, reducing turbulence and allowing the redesigned Focus to

travel a bit farther on a tank of gas. Most customers might never notice, but it is the kind of detail Ford engineers now refer to as 'one

percenters'-tweaks that add up to increased fuel efficiency.

These incremental improvements are actually part of a larger plan launched by Chief Executive Alan Mulally when he arrived in 2006: introduce

only the best-in-class cars and trucks.

Leading on quality and safety are the 'price of admission' to the top ranks of the global auto industry, Mr. Mulally said last week at the

Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. He added that improving fuel efficiency and offering new technologies are 'strategically important

because green technology and smart innovations are helping us serve our customers and differentiate Ford.'

Monday, Ford won the 2010 car and truck of the year awards at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The company's Fusion Hybrid

sedan captured top car honors, while its Transit Connect van was named best truck.

The auto maker introduced new four-door and five-door hatchback Focus models at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Monday.

The vehicles include a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine and a six-speed automatic transmission.

Production of the cars is to begin almost simultaneously in Europe and North America late this year, with vehicles likely to reach dealerships in

early 2011. Launches are scheduled in 2012 in Africa and the Asian-Pacific region, where construction of an assembly plant for the car is under

way in China. Ford hasn't disclosed pricing yet.
Meanwhile, Ford said for the first time Monday that it will build hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles at its Michigan plant. Production of the

two unnamed vehicles is to start in 2012 in Wayne, Mich.

The vehicles will round out a portfolio of four new cars and trucks that the auto maker plans to equip with alternative-fuel technology. Ford

already has said it plans to build battery-powered versions of the Transit Connect and Focus.

The Focus unveiled Monday will be available with a new version of the Sync system that can provide wireless Internet access to passengers, but

perhaps Ford's biggest effort went into improving the vehicle's fuel economy. Company Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr. said at the Detroit show

Monday that the redesigned Focus will be the class leader in fuel economy in regions where the car is sold.

The new Focus doesn't yet have a miles-per-gallon rating from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, but people familiar with the matter said

Ford engineers expect the car to go at least 40 miles on a gallon of gas in highway driving. That would put the new Focus ahead of the older

model and competitors such as the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Chevrolet Cobalt, all of which are rated at 35 or 36 mpg on the highway.

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