Published April 17, 2012
By Philippe Crowe
Ford’s Focus Electric will become the first all-electric pace car to ever lead the field for a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the Richmond 400.
The new Focus Electric will perform all pace care duties at Richmond International Raceway on April 28.
According to Ford’s research, approximately 35 percent of new car intenders are motorsports fans and 78 percent of them support NASCA. Additionally, Ford race fans are 67 percent more likely to consider Ford products than general market consumers.
Ford has a history of “firsts” in NASCAR. In addition to being the first manufacturer to compete with a four-door sedan as its flagship model in 1998, Ford was also first to use a hybrid to start a NASCAR event with the Fusion Hybrid pace car at the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2008.
The Focus Electric pace car will be unveiled for the public at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond on April 25. Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling will deliver the Focus Electric to Richmond International Raceway, where it will serve as pace car for that weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event.
Production of the Focus Electric began in December at Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich. Ford is ramping up Focus Electric retail production in the first half of this year for dealership availability in California, New York and New Jersey. By the end of the year, Focus Electric will be available in 19 markets across the U.S.
The Focus Electric offers the equivalent of 110 miles per gallon (MPGe) city, 99 MPGe highway and operates entirely on battery-generated power. The Focus Electric has been certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to offer 105 MPGe combined.
