Ford Putting Focus on ‘Green’

Ford Motor Co. wants to help you flaunt your “green” credentials, even if a $20,000-plus gasoline-electric hybrid car isn’t in your budget.

The alternative is the Focus compact with a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder gasoline engine that has California’s PZEV rating, for partial zero emissions vehicle.

Ford has been selling PZEV Focuses here since 2003, a total of 90,000, but is just now starting to brag about them.

With the just-introduced 2007 model, the PZEV rating is plastered in bright chrome across the stern of every 2-liter Focus in the state.

The PZEV rating is topped only by the zero emission vehicle, or ZEV, classification reserved for natural gas and electric cars.

The PZEV Focus has a 130-horsepower engine rated at 27 miles per gallon in the city and 37 mpg on the highway. The base price is $14,075, and with incentives that falls to about $12,000.

Its emissions status means it’s cleaner than the ’07 Toyota Highlander and the Lexus GS 450h and RX 400h hybrids.