I know a better reason to buy a Corolla..It's a Toyota!!!!!!!I considered Mazda (the Ford alliance scares me), and Honda (the theft record of theses vehicles is appalling), and I stayed with the "tried and true". My last vehicle was a 1988 Toyota 4x4 pickup with over 260,000KM on it-need I say more?
Look at my sig, see what I drive.
Mine has 36k on it, has been wrecked twice and still has 0 mechanical problems. Furthermore it has flawless fit and finish and feature content galore.
It is built in Japan with 100% Japanese parts, not including the transmission, which is not made by Ford. IIRC that vehicle shares virtually nothing with the North American Focus, and almost everything with the new Volvo S40. Since the European Focus is actually a really good car and is highly reliable and the S40 and 3 are roughly based on it, I'm betting my Mazda will be as well.
In reality the car doesn't have much of a Ford connection, which can be said for many Mazdas.
Now if we are talking about some vehicles, then yes, they have a Ford connection. The B-series is a rebadged Ranger Pickup, the Tribute is a rebadged Escape, and the Fusion is based on the Mazda6, although to be fair, Mazda came out with the design first and Ford simply borrowed it.