Redesigned Ford Focus expected to get 40 mpg on the highway

The redesigned 2012 Ford Focus will get an estimated 40 mpg in highway driving with an all-aluminum 2.0-liter engine mated to a six-speed, dual-dry-clutch automatic transmission.

The normally aspirated engine combines variable camshaft timing and high-pressure direct fuel injection to crank out 160 hp and 146 lb-ft of torque. That compares with 140 hp and 136 lb-ft from the aluminum 2.0-liter engine used in the current-generation Focus.

The 2012 Ford Focus will be fitted with an electric power-steering system to reduce the load on the engine.

Ford will build the 2.0-liter engine for the 2012 Focus in Dearborn, Mich. Production of the 2012 Focus is set to begin late this year in Wayne, Mich., with the car going on sale in early 2011.

By Dale Jewett