Selling more than a million Focuses around the world last year, Ford Motor Company has retained its title for the most popular car. That means Ford sold a Focus every 30 seconds during 2013! With an 8.1 percent increase in sales of the Focus, it also doesn’t look like it’ll be relinquishing that title anytime soon. Most of its popularity comes from Chinese demand, which accounts for roughly 40 percent of the total output.

Ford’s CEO Alan Mulally took over the company eight years ago and immediately set about reversing its poor fortunes. He trimmed its bloated lineup of redundant models down to a streamlined 15 and demanded interchangeability of parts among all cars. Even after cutting nearly half of Ford’s model portfolio, Mulally led the company to produce only 500,000 fewer cars than the previous years. Additionally, his efforts led to a profit of nearly $9 billion, which was a substantial gain on the previous year. The Focus regularly rolls off of assembly lines in eight plants around the world, which are located in the United States, Russia, Argentina, Germany, China, Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan.

Currently in its third generation, the Focus is a compact car designed to get 30 mpg on the highway or better. It also comes in performance variants that approach the skidpad G-force tolerance of much more expensive sports cars. In 16 markets within the United States, consumers can choose a model that is completely electric. It has a range of 76 miles and tops out at 84 mph.

Outside of North America, fuel economy and concern for the environment outweigh the need for bulging horsepower or screaming acceleration. Still, some Ecoboost engines used in Europe yield top speeds of near 155 mph while still providing 42 mpg. Even more economical, Econetic engines reach 116 mph while delivering more than 60 mpg, which is an incredible boon in the nearly $5/gallon 21st century.

Since its inception, the Focus has gone from boxy sedan to sleekly modern conveyance. Sporting 17-inch alloy wheels, fog lights, leather seats and a killer sound system, the modern Focus is fully loaded with both comfort and gadgets. In spirit, it’s much more Mustang and far less Escort. Manufacturer’s suggested retail price for a base Focus currently hovers around $15,000 with the fully electric model topping out around $35,000.