REPORT: Ford Focus is top-selling Cash For Clunkers car, nearly half buying domestic

[wickedstangs]

<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/coupes/" rel="tag">Coupe</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/suvs/" rel="tag">SUV</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/trucks/" rel="tag">Truck</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/government-legal/" rel="tag">Government/Legal</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/ford/" rel="tag">Ford</a></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/gallery/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-ford-focus-ses-coupe/"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/08/2009-ford-focus-coupe-snow-review-630.jpg" alt="" /></a><br />
<div align="center"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"><small>2009 Ford Focus SES Coupe - Click above for high-res image gallery</small></span><br /></div>
<br />The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has processed 80,500 transactions so far, and the early winner of Cash For Clunkers appears to be the Ford Focus. <em>The</em> <em>Detroit News</em> is reporting that the Focus is the number one vehicle purchased under the government program, showing us why Ford's C-Segment vehicle <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/03/the-streak-is-broken-ford-posts-first-sales-gain-in-19-months/">gained 43.6%</a> in July. Ford also saw an amazing 97% increase in Escape sales in July, a tally that was likely improved with the help of Cash For Clunkers.<br /><br />The controversial and somewhat clumsy program is drawing plenty of attention for its popularity amongst car buyers, and Detroit automakers appear to be taking more than their fair share of sales. The White House says 47% of all vehicles sold through the bill so far come from US automakers; 2% higher than the domestics' 45% overall share. Four of the top 10 vehicles purchased under the program come from domestic automakers, and over half of all vehicles were built in the States.<br /><br />With so many orders in the cue, the ABM administration says that the program will likely have to be pulled by Friday if more money isn't appropriated. The House voted last week to add another $2 billion to the initiative's coffers, and the Senate will vote on the measure on Wednesday or Thursday.<br /><br />To drum up support for more dollars, the White House is touting the program's value. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says the average fuel economy increase so far is 9.4 mpg; a 61% increase verses the vehicles destined for a sodium silicate bath. So far, 83% of the vehicles traded in have been trucks, while 60% of the vehicles purchased under the program have been cars. The White House estimates that Cash For Clunkers will save the average car buyer $700 - $1,000 in gas prices during the life of the vehicle.<br /><br /><br /><div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-ford-focus-ses-coupe/low/">Review: 2009 Ford Focus SES Coupe</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-ford-focus-ses-coupe/low/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/01/00_2009focuscoupe_gar_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-ford-focus-ses-coupe/low/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/01/01_2009focuscoupe_gar_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-ford-focus-ses-coupe/low/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/01/02_2009focuscoupe_gar_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-ford-focus-ses-coupe/low/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/01/03_2009focuscoupe_gar_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/in-the-autoblog-garage-2009-ford-focus-ses-coupe/low/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/01/04_2009focuscoupe_gar_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><br />[Source: <a href="http://www.detnews.com/article/20090803/AUTO01/908030384/1148/rss25">The Detroit News</a>]<p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/03/report-ford-focus-is-top-selling-cash-for-clunkers-car-nearly/">REPORT: Ford Focus is top-selling Cash For Clunkers car, nearly half buying domestic</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblog</a> on Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.detnews.com/article/20090803/AUTO01/908030384/1148/rss25>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/03/report-ford-focus-is-top-selling-cash-for-clunkers-car-nearly/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19117786/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/03/report-ford-focus-is-top-selling-cash-for-clunkers-car-nearly/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>


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[alaninsd1]

glad sales are going up for ford

 

[maverick169v]

still think cash for clunkers is a terrible idea. but good to see ford posting up some profits. my argument is when teh program ends, the sales will go back down, and the 3 billion dollars is gone.

 

[yosemiddysam]

That and they are ruining perfectly good vehicles cause others are friggen stupid. I have seen videos posted of some damn nice vehicles being destroyed for lack of te smartz!!! Give these vehicles to vets and people that can not afford them instead of dumping some solution into the engine and blowing them up!!!!!!!

 

[Soliz53]

so wait im confused wat happens to all the trade ins? do they resell them or do they destroy them cus that would be messed up

 

[yosemiddysam]

They destroy them!!!! They literally have to sieze the engines so they can never be made to run again!!!!!

 

[Fighting Sailor]

They should have a rating system by which they decide which cars are destroyed and which can be given to worthy recipients and /or resold.. But my biggest gripe about this program is that foreign cars are included, they should have left it open only to domestic car sales. Now they are running out of money 53% of which went to the foreign cars that helped to put us in this mess! More liberal BS, spending money we don't have on social programs that dont work! and who foots the bill? Taxpayers thats who! Taxpayers who make up less than 50% of the population.
Obama is living up to his promise! We are seeing change! Now, is this the sort of "change" we want?