June/July 2001: The Ford Focus was the most popular car sold in Ireland during the first four months of the year, latest industry figures reveal.

The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) figures show the sales of the Focus from January to April totalled 4,762, beating the Nissan Almera (4,701 units) and the Fiat Punto (4,609).

'If one speaks about a truly global car, the Focus is it,' said Eddie Murphy, managing director of Irish Ford subsidiary Henry Ford & Son. 'Earlier this year it entered the top 10 selling vehicles in the United States, the world's biggest market, and is also the number one car in Britain.'

Murphy continued: 'With the Focus Collection model now hitting the showrooms, and a number of exciting new Focus offerings in store, the Focus success story in Ireland looks set to continue.'