Ford has confirmed the date it will stop making one of Britain's most loved cars of the last three decades.

The US maker has been killing off some of its most recognisable combustion-engine model names in recent years as part of its ongoing efforts to switch to EVs.

The car giant wound-up outputs of Mondeo in April 2022.

Just 12 months later, bosses oversaw the discontinuation of the S-Max and Galaxy MPVs, much to the annoyance of taxi and airport shuttle operators who have relied on them for years.

In July 2023, it was the turn of the Fiesta - a car that has amassed 22 million sales globally and 4.8 million in the UK alone - to be ended after 47 years of continuous production, despite being Britain's best-selling small car at the time the axe was wielded.

And the Focus is next for the chopping block...

A Ford spokesperson said: 'The Focus has been an important part of the Ford family in Europe for over 20 years, and we are deeply grateful for the loyalty and passion our customers have shown for this iconic vehicle.

'We remain committed to serving our Focus customers with ongoing service, parts, and support.'

Sadly, there are no plans for a direct Focus successor as the car maker concentrates of its transition to EVs, which is heavily bias towards new SUV models.

Customers can still order a new Focus in their desired specification for the time being, but with the end of manufacturing at its Saarlouis plant in Germany rubberstamped for November, it won't be long before order books are closed once and for all. 

There will then be a period of time that a new Focus can be snapped up from remaining inventory, but once stocks run dry that will be the end of the incredibly popular hatchback that's been servicing Britain's families for almost 30 years.

The Focus currently costs from £28,500 in Britain.

Standard variants come with a 1.0-litre three-cylinder EcoBoost mild-hybrid petrol engine.

However, the Focus ST - its popular hot hatch - is also still available to order with a 2.3-litre turbocharged four-pot motor producing 280hp. Prices start from £37,705. 

Having launched in 1998, Focus won European Car of the Year in 1999.

Prince William was pictured learning to drive in one the same year. 

Focus then went on to enjoy an extended period at the top of UK sales charts.

It was the nation's most popular new car for 10 consecutive years until 2008 when it was dethroned by the smaller Fiesta, which then held the crown for the next 12 years.

Today it remains one of Ford's most in-demand models and one of the most commonly bought family hatchbacks in Britain.

There are approximately 1.3 million Ford Focus examples registered in the UK making it the second most common car on our roads behind the Fiesta. 

Yet the company confirmed all the way back in 2022 that it would be pulling the plug on Focus production in Saarlouis despite its relative popularity.

At the time, then Ford of Europe boss, Martin Sander, said: 'In the long run, we are still deeply convinced that EVs will be the future and we will see a significant increase in volume.

'By the end of this year [2022], we will have a full range of electric vehicles – both in the passenger vehicle sector but also in our commercial vehicle business line – and we are quite flexible to adapt to market demand. For the next couple of years, we have a broad choice.

'Basically, our customers have the power of choice to pick what they want.'

However, just 12 months after overseeing the end of production of Fiesta, Sander left Ford to take up a role as sales and marketing boss at rival Volkswagen.

The decision on Focus means that Ford's only combustion-engined car options for customers from November will be the Puma crossover - the nation's best-selling new model - and the larger Kuga SUV.

The rest of the model line-up is filled by EVs, with the Explorer, Mustang Mach-E and controversially named Capri SUV. 

This move to an electrified model range has come at the cost of popularity among UK buyers.

Last year, Ford dropped down the order of best-selling car brands to fifth with 109,995 registrations - accounting for one in 20 new models entering the road - having been second overall in 2023.

While it sold fewer new passenger vehicles than Volkswagen in both years, in 2024 it was overtaken in terms of popularity by BMW, Audi and Kia.

Wind the clocks back a decade and Ford was Britain's most loved make - and by some distance.

In 2014, Ford sold 326,643 cars in the UK, which was almost one in seven passenger vehicles sold that year.