The Ford plant in the German city of Saarlouis will stop assembling the fourth generation Focus at the end of autumn 2025, it will not have a successor, the future of the plant still remains vague.
In the summer of 2022, we already reported that the Ford Focus will leave the European market in 2025. Now the specific date for the cessation of production has become known — November 30, 2025, it was announced by the German trade union IG Metall, which also oversees the employees of the Ford plant in Saarlouis. Apart from the Focus in hatchback and station wagon bodies, this plant today produces nothing else.
Current Ford Focus for Europe 1/3 
Current Ford Focus for Europe 2/3 
Current Ford Focus for Europe 3/3
The Saarlouis plant, which has been operating since 1966, is no longer needed by Ford due to the optimization of the model line in Europe and the intention to completely switch to electric vehicles in the old-world market by 2030. The centers for electrification of the Ford of Europe passenger car line were the plants in Cologne (Germany) and Valencia (Spain), and the plant in Zarlouis was out of business in this sense; Ford has been looking for a buyer for it since 2022.
< p>The experience of other companies shows that it is becoming increasingly difficult to sell old car plants in Europe — it is easier to build new ones. Last year, European business media reported that more than ten potential buyers were vying for the Saarlouis plant, but no deal had been concluded. The Chinese company BYD, which was among the contenders, eventually decided to build its own European plant from scratch in Hungary.
The IG Metall trade union cannot decide for Ford how to load the Saarlouis plant and what to do with this plant after 2025, so last week it agreed to lay off 3,500 people from its current workforce of 4,500. The layoffs will begin once Focus production ends and will be generously paid for by the company, with Ford retaining approximately 1,000 workers in Saarlouis with a promise not to force layoffs until 2032.
It is unknown what the Saarlouis plant will do between 2026 and 2032 — Ford has not yet made any official statements on this matter. Ford is now reviewing its electric vehicle strategy and is developing a new modular platform for mass-produced and relatively affordable electric vehicles — perhaps the Saarlouis plant will be saved for them. Selling the plant also remains on the list of options, it’s just that there is no suitable buyer yet.
In theory, there is also a third solution — to continue to drive Focus and make a profit from it, it’s just that such a solution is unlikely to be implemented due to the peculiarities of the long-term planning in old and large companies, which Ford undoubtedly is. The verdict on Focus was signed, looking at its bending sales curve, now it’s too late to replay.
Current Ford Focus for Europe
Meanwhile, Focus suddenly took off last year: according to the German analytical agency Dataforce, its sales in Europe amounted to 100,666 units, which is 27.6% more than sales in 2022. For comparison, let's say that last year the VW Golf sold 184,279 units in Europe. (+3.9%), Skoda Octavia — 161,784 units. (+43.5%), Toyota Corolla — 132,451 units. (+2%), Peugeot 308 — 93,070 units. (+4.8%).
Current Ford Focus for Europe
Remember that the current The fourth generation Ford Focus has been in production since 2018, and in 2021 it underwent a planned restyling. The Focus left the American market in its third generation, but there is a localized “fourth” Focus for China, the sales of which leave much to be desired: about 5,000 units were sold last year. In general, the “hydrocarbon” Focus is unlikely to survive outside of Europe, but it may well return to the global market in the form of an electric car.