Ford's CEO Alan Mulally told reporters that selling fewer than 5,000 Focus Electrics by the end of 2012 should still be considered a success. Ford's near-term goal to double sales of electric-drive vehicles—including hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and EVs—won't fall off track even if sales of the 2012 Ford Focus Electric are lower than anticipated.

Ford says that sales of its first electric car, the Ford Focus Electric, are "on track," despite reports that there have been only 10 sales since December. Perhaps this is not a surprising development, if you look at company statements about its EV intentions over the past couple of years. Remember last year when Ford Motor’s chairman Bill Ford expressed doubts that a ground-up electric vehicles would appeal to enough consumers. He worried that the company would need to put big incentives on a dedicated EV in order to “shove them out the door, somehow."

The 2012 Ford Focus Electric has been EPA-certified at 105 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) combined, 110 MPGe city and 99 MPGe on the highway. It's EPA-rated range is 76 miles, compared to 73 miles for the Nissan LEAF.

Ford Motor has been quiet about its rollout of the Ford Focus Electric, but word from MLive is that the electric hatchback won't be available outside of California, New York and New Jersey until the fourth quarter of 2012.

Simplified production is key to keeping costs in check on the $39,995 Focus Electric. All of the electrified Focus compacts roll down the assembly lines at Ford's Wayne, Mich factory and only a handful of production steps differ from those of the Focus Electric's conventional, gas-fueled counterpart. Here's a look at how the Focus Electric comes to life.