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Ford Focus is the best selling car…in the world

It’s a big feather in Ford’s cap and vindication of their ‘One Ford’ global product strategy, which has finally seen Ford realise that the world wants the cars it makes and designs in Europe. Focus sales rose in the US by 40 per cent in 2012 (a market Ford would have declared completely unsuitable for a relatively compact European hatch a decade ago) and China accounted for a massive one in four of all Focus sold, a rise of 51 per cent, making the Focus the best-selling passenger car in China. Not only did the Focus take the best selling car (actually, best selling nameplate), the Ford Fiesta did well to, coming in sixth on Polk’s list with a not insignificant 723,130 registrations around the world.

Top 5 hatches of the 2014 Geneva motor show

By Ollie Kew First Official Pictures 05 March 2014 11:00 There’s a wildly diverse crop of new hatches at the 2014 Geneva motor show: a rear-drive city car, a firecracker of a crossover, new concept cars and even a lap time world record holder. Here are CAR’s Top 5 hatches of the 2014 Geneva show – and the customary dishonourable mention… The Mazda Hazumi concept is essentially what the new Mazda2 will look like when it hits showrooms – and it’s set to give the mainstream makes a proper fight. Mazda isn’t just on a styling roll of late – even the Mazda3 and Mazda6 are arguably the most handsome cars in their respective classes – but are building cars that are sensibly priced, affordable-to-run and damn good fun to drive.

Marc Girard appointed head of Interior Design at BMW Cars

Marc Girard starts his new job as head of the Interior Design department at BMW Automobiles today, taking over the post previously held by Michael Ninic who died unexpectedly last year. His appointment also alleviates some of the pressure put on Adrian van Hooydonk, who has effectively been managing both exterior and interior design departments for BMW Cars as well as acclimatizing to his new role as design director of the BMW Group following Chris Bangle's departure last month. A BMW Group designer for the last 15 years, French-born Girard was most recently team leader for Interior Design at BMW Automobiles, having been promoted from the position of head of interior design at MINI - a role he filled from 2004 to 2006.