The 2011 Focus is the next part of Ford's global product development strategy.

Ford is going global. Again.

In classic form, the automaker would routinely develop separate models for key markets like the U.S. and Europe, even though it was a costly way that the Japanese long ago proved ineffective.  Following the strategy of the company’s new Fiesta, the next-generation Ford Focus will be produced and marketed all over the world.  And buyers could reap some real benefits from that new approach, if the car debuting at the 2010 North American International Auto Show is any indication.

Sharing the same underlying platform as Europe’s C-Max and Grand X-Max “people movers,” the 2011 Ford Focus is a better looking and more sophisticated offering than the one currently found in U.S. showrooms.

The 2011 Ford Focus will be offered as either a 5-door hatch or 4-door sedan.

While the automaker says it won’t abandon the compact model’s affordable roots, it delivers a number of features not often found in the segment, particularly on domestic products like the old Focus.  That includes such niceties as keyless entry, push-button start, a rearview camera and dynamic cornering control.  These could give palpitations to those who think of that classic econobox, the Ford Escort.

“From the very beginning, the new Ford Focus was penned as a global vehicle,” says Martin Smith, Ford’s European design chief.

Give credit to Ford CEO Alan Mulally, who adopted the “One Ford” concept shortly after joining the company in 2006.  A growing number of the company’s products, starting with the Fiesta and Transit Connect van, will be developed for worldwide distribution, rather than for specific markets.

A 2.0-liter powertrain could be followed by a new I-4 version of Ford's Ecoboost. And a battery Focus is coming, as well.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be some difference reflecting regional tastes – and local regulations.  About 20% of the parts on the Focus will be unique to the U.S.  But by sharing the other 80%, says global product development czar Derrick Kuzak, the carmaker can reap the benefits of greater economies of scale.  Sure, some of those savings will go into the hands of shareholders.  But in today’s competitive market, some of the money will be used to offer buyers a more lavishly-equipped automobile.

The 2011 Ford Focus will be offered in two body styles in the U.S.: a 5-door hatch and more conventional 4-door sedan.  A 3-door hatchback just might make the jump across the Atlantic, as well, a Ford source hints, if the 5-door is well-received by American motorists.

The angular body style, most obvious on the new Focus hatchback, evolved out of the iosis concept vehicle Smith penned in 2005, shortly after joining the automaker.

The biggest regional differences reflect powertrain requirements.  Europeans will get a number of different gasoline and diesel engines.  State-side, we’ll see a new 2.0-liter direct-injection inline-four that makes 20 more horsepower than the current Focus gets, even though fuel economy gains an extra 10%, as well.  Part of the credit goes to an electronically-shifted double-clutch PowerShift manual gearbox.

The 2011 Ford Focus will be far better equipped than the econoboxes the automaker used to offer.

While it won’t be shown at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, expect Ford to eventually give Focus a peppier 1.6-liter I4 version of its Ecoboost.  It should get mileage similar to the 2.0-liter package, but will also deliver V6 levels of performance.

Meanwhile, Ford also is developing a battery-electric version of the new Focus, which will charge into showrooms in less than two years.