Ford of Europe chairman Lewis Booth has told the German magazine Automobilwoche he is confident the firm will cut its losses this year from last year’s $1.1bn (£315.5m) pre-tax level to $100-$200m (£55.9m-£111m).

Ford’s confidence is based partly on expectations that the new Focus, due in November, will absorb all of Ford of Germany’s assembly capacity, and on cost reductions achieved by platform-sharing and common procurement with Volvo and Mazda.

Although the popularity of related models such as the current Focus-based MPV are admitted to be likely to reduce volumes for the base hatchback by comparison with the first-generation Focus and its Escort predecessors, derivatives of the new model are thought likely to be launched early on – and one could be a production version of a cabriolet concept to be shown at the Paris Motor Show next week.