JPG thumb ( 845x502 ) px right A 2009 Ford Focus ) ) The Ford Focus is a compact vehicle made by the Ford Motor Company . The North American version was introduced in 1999 for the 2000 model year . The Focus replaced the Ford Escort\/Mercury Tracer and Ford Contour\/Mercury Mystique in North America and won North American Car of the Year award for 2000 ( the Ford Focus ( international ) won European Car of the Year in 1999 ) .