Ok Maybe keeping around the current car isn't too bad of an idea:
Focus Gets Clearer
Meanwhile, Mazda officials offered a bit of clarification to recent reports about the next generation of Ford family small cars. The Japanese automaker’s new Mazda3 was jointly developed with Ford and Volvo, and will serve as the basis for a variety of future vehicles, including Ford’s own C-Max, a European microvan. Mazda’s engineering prowess has garnered so much respect in the vast Ford Motor Co. empire that the larger Mazda6 will serve as the foundation for at least 10 mid-size U.S. Ford-brand models, including the Futura, a replacement for the aging Taurus. But recent reports indicated Ford would stick with the current platform for the next-generation Focus subcompact, and not switch to something based on the Mazda3. The truth apparently is somewhere in between, according to several senior sources. To fully amortize the investment it has made, Ford will reuse a significant amount of current-model Focus tooling, but update the new car by borrowing some important “bits and pieces” from the Mazda3-based global architecture. Among other things, expect to see a significantly improved interior on Focus, along with improved ride and handling. —Paul A. Eisenstein
Source: The Car Connection