Whittled down from all the cars in the world, a group of 66 automotive journalists from across the globe have released their top 10 picks for the 2012 World Car of the Year and World Performance Car.

That list, which will be further narrowed this month, is initially selected by secret ballot and then submitted for re-evaluation by the panel.

Members then have a chance to rate each car based on overall merit, value, safety, environmental responsibility, emotional appeal, and significance. The top three are then scheduled to be announced March 6 at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show during a press conference.

The 2011 World Car of the Year was the Nissan Leaf, while the World Performance Car was the Ferrari 458 Italia. What we’re most curious about this year is the fact that the Porsche 911 made it into both categories.

The 2012 World Performance Car finalists are:

• Audi RS 3 Sportback
• BMW 1 Series M Coupé
• BMW M5
• Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
• Ferrari FF
• Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4
• McLaren MP4-12C
• Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG
• Mercedes-Benz C-63 Coupe AMG Black Series
• Porsche 911

The 2012 World Car of the Year finalists are:

• Audi A6 Sedan / Avant
• Audi Q3
• BMW 1 Series
• BMW 3 Series
• Chevrolet Volt / Opel/Vauxhall Ampera
• Citroen DS5
• Ford Focus
• Land Rover Evoque
• Porsche 911
• Volkswagen Up!

Be sure to tune in for our coverage of the 2012 Geneva Auto Show, where we’ll be bringing you the latest. Also, let us know what you think of both lists in the comments section below.

Forbes has reported that almost one-third of the more than two million vehicles Ford sold in America last year went to fleet buyers, which could be a cause of concern for the American automaker.

While it would appear that it could only be a positive thing that Ford is heavily favored among rental and commercial fleets, it has its downsides as well. For one, fleet operators purchase their vehicles in bulk and normally hold on to them for only a year or two. As a result, huge discounts are given from the manufacturers and the market becomes flooded with used vehicles after a couple of years, reducing residual values.

But the upside is that rental fleets help increase brand and product awareness with potential consumers that normally would never look at that vehicle to begin with. At the same time, a rental car that’s been poorly taken care of could leave a negative impression about a vehicle’s brand.

Ford is likely to be concerned about its fleet sales though, especially as 45-percent of its Focus production is heading to fleet inventories while the car struggles in the retail market. The next few years will be important to Ford, as General Motors and Chrysler continue to improve with great vehicles and larger profits while Japanese automakers Nissan, Honda and Toyota begin to bounce back.

[Source: Forbes]

Those heading to the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and/or the 2012 Detroit Auto Show may want to recycle their plastic bottles while at the convention center. Ford and Unifi will be collecting plastic water bottles constructed of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from the two shows and will recycle them to make the Repreve seating material found in the EV.

Repreve is a mixture of post-industrial fiber waste and post-consumer waste such as the PET plastic water bottles. Apparently each Ford Focus Electric will use about 22 plastic bottles in its interior and Ford and Unifi hopes to help divert 2 million plastic bottles from landfills. According to Ford, right now, the Focus EV is approximately 90-percent recyclable, but they’re working on making that 100-percent.

Ford‘s track-ready Focus ST-R isn’t cheap at $98,995, but it sure comes with plenty of punch as a turn-key race car powered by a 2.0L EcoBoost powerplant. To show off what the hot hatch is all about, Ford Racing and Andy Vrenko took it to its natural habitat – the race track.

The video does a great job highlighting the various features of the race car while blending in clips of it on the track. We also get a great in-depth look at the interior of the ST-R, showing off its Recaro seats and FIA-spec roll cage.

The ST-R is eligible to race in various racing series including Grand Am ST Class, World Challenge ST Class, Canadian Touring Car, as well as European endurance racing events, such as the Nurburgring 24.

GALLERY: Ford Focus ST-R

Watch the video below:

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For decades, we’ve known Ford crate engines to be huge V8 powerplants packing plenty of cubic inches and power. But Ford has been quietly offering a 2.0L inline-four from its old Focus for midget racers but very few even paid attention to that option.

Now Ford has added their new-generation 2.0L Focus engine and looks to add an EcoBoost variant in the future. Ford announced a pair of new V8 crate motors for 2012, adding a 347 pushrod motor based on the historic Boss 302 block. With 363-cubic inches, it packs 500-hp and 450 lb-ft of torque. The other new crate engine is a 427-cubic inch powerplant and is based on Ford’s Boss 351 engine block. With Ford Racing’s X-heads system, it makes 500-hp and 520 lb-ft of torque.

But the new addition of the 2.0L inline-four from the Focus is what’s making headlines, with its 160-hp and 145 lb-ft of torque. The naturally aspirated engine will be complemented by EcoBoost offerings which means turbocharged power for all. The 2.0L EcoBoost for example in the new Explorer makes 240-hp and 270 lb-ft of torque which suddenly becomes a very appealing engine for small race cars to mid-sized boats.

Unfortunately Ford hasn’t announced availability on the EcoBoost crate engines.

[Source: Automobile Mag]

Honda CEO Takanobu Ito stepped up and assumed responsibility for the Honda Civic’s miserable start in the United States, telling Automotive News that ”The ultimate responsibility rests with me.”

The Civic was left off the Consumer Reports list of recommended vehicles, a rarity for any Honda product. Cheap interior materials were blamed, and many reviewers reported dull styling and driving dynamics as other disappointments. Civic sales are down 15 percent this year, and Honda product planners are hoping for a model refresh as soon as 2013, well ahead of Honda’s usual vehicle schedule.

While Honda decided to stick with a smaller footprint and reduced content for the new Civic (betting on a downward economy) competitors like Hyundai, Chevrolet and Ford went in the opposite direction, offering advanced features like backup cameras, self-parking, powerful engines and bold styling. This approach won out in the end, with the Hyundai Elantra, Chevrolet Cruze and Ford Focus reporting strong sales in the segment.

[Source: Automotive News]

Grammar sticklers will be disappointed that the headline is not actually a typo – we were just so captivated by the Ford Focus ST, spotted at the Los Angeles Auto Show in this fetching shade of blue that we felt it would be a dereliction of duty if we didn’t mention it.

Although the Focus ST has been on the show circuit for about a year now, the car is still a bit away from launch. Specs include Ford’s 2.0L Ecoboost motor displacing 247 horsepower and 260 lb-ft, with a choice of a 6-speed manual or 6-speed dual clutch gearbox, along with ATE brakes and some wild-hued sports seats. A Sony headunit that looked like it was ready for the much-loathed MyFordTouch infotainment system was also spotted.

So far, we’ve only seen the Focus ST in the papaya-like orange, but this blue, reminiscent of the Escort Cosworth and 1st generation Focus RS, has us seriously infatuated. How much longer must we wait?

Gallery: Ford Focus ST

To say that Ford put a focus on the Focus would be an understatement at this year’s SEMA Show. Nine different, fully customized Focuses were shown off in the Ford booth, with several of them part of a spectator voting competition. Projects ranged from mild to wild, with a plethora of colors being splashed on each creation.

Our personal favorite of the bunch was the Focus by the ID Agency, sporting a custom BASF green paint job with a Wraptivo roof wrap. Ford also leant a helping hand with their official Ford Licensed Accessories bike rack by Thule, adding to the versatility of the new Focus SE 5-Door. The Downforce carbon fiber lip kit was a nice and subtle touch, while we just loved the choice of bolting on 19×8.5-inch HRE Performance C90 wheels. Under the hood, the ID Agency outfitted the 2.0L Ti-VCT four-cylinder with an AEM cold air intake and MagnaFlow cat-back exhaust. A Brembo big brake kit was paired with KW Variant 3 coilovers to give this Focus plenty of braking and handling improvements – not to mention how great it looks. On the inside, Recaro Sportster seats can be found along with custom interior by Top Stitch and a Kicker car audio system by BP Auto Sound.

With so many Focuses to focus on, we decided to make a life easier to taking a photo of each of the information plaques by each car. Feast your eyes on the creations from Bojix Design, ID Agency, 3dCarbon, Capaldi Racing, ROUSH Performance, Steeda, Hot Wheels, Metal Mulish/Rockstar, and M&J Enterprises and let Autoguide know which was your favorite.

GALLERY: Bojix Design Ford Focus

GALLERY: ID Agency Ford Focus

GALLERY: 3dCarbon Ford Focus

GALLERY: Capaldi Racing Ford Focus

GALLERY: ROUSH Performance Ford Focus

GALLERY: Steeda Ford Focus

GALLERY: Hot Wheels Ford Focus

GALLERY: Metal Mulisha/Rockstar Ford Focus

GALLERY: M&J Enterprises Ford Focus

While AutoGuide got its first glimpse of the Ford Focus ST at the 2010 Paris Auto Show last September, this was our first chance to take a good look at the car without security guards and PR staff circling like birds of prey.

We know so far that the Focus ST will have Ford’s 2.0L Ecoboost motor displacing 247 horsepower and 260 lb-ft, with a choice of a 6-speed manual or 6-speed dual clutch gearbox, along with ATE brakes and some very supportive technicolor sports seats. Peeking inside also revealed a Sony headunit that looked like it was ready for the much-loathed MyFordTouch infotainment system.

Check out AutoGuide’s coverage of the 2011 SEMA Show here

Gallery: Ford Focus ST

Are you getting excited for the SEMA Show in Las Vegas? It’s less then two weeks away, and to get you a fan-frenzied mood, Ford has begun to tease us with its bespoke designs.

From subdued to outrageous and brand-spanking new to ancient, Ford will be showing off a little something of everything at the show, but taking the spotlight with be a few customized Fiesta and Focus models.

Sure to draw attention from the crowd are seven Focus hatchback and sedan models that boast customization by 3dCarbon, ROUSH Performance Products, The ID Agency, Capaldi Racing, Steeda, Bojix Design, and COBB Tuning. With such prominent names, you can expect to see some radical performance and styling modifications to these cars.

“Millennials, which this car is all about, want to personalize every aspect of their lives – everything from laptop covers to body art, and even cars,” said Mike Murphy, Ford C-Car Marketing manager. “Being unique allows them to stand apart and be different, and all the Focus models we have on display at SEMA live up to that standard.”

On the Fiesta side, there will be three customized models, courtesy of M2-Motoring, Gold Coast Automotive and Aaron Vaccar.

Expect to hear more from Ford about what it is bringing to the table at the SEMA show this week, including an all-new 363-cubic-inch Ford Racing stroker engine and a Ford licensed restoration part for the classic ’64-65 Mustang.

GALLERY: Ford Focus and Fiesta SEMA Show Cars

See AutoGuide’s complete 2011 SEMA Show Preview here