Edmunds.com is reporting that Ford is developing a new "global high-performance" version of the Focus and they are speculating that it will be available in the US as an SVT version, though Ford is not confirming it will come to North America. Ford didn't give many details, but Edmunds doesn't think it will have the turbo 5 cylinder from the RS, and instead will have a turbocharged 4 cylinder with at least 250hp. They also don't know if it will have the suspension from the RS.
Here's the article:
http://blogs.insideline.com/straightline/2010/03/ford-announces-a-new-global-high-performance-focus.html
Bob
3Door4G
New Reader
3/2/10 6:23 p.m.
If it has the RS suspension it will be awesome.
I don't even think I need all the power from the RS to have a good car though.
hopefully we will get an awd as well
Andrew
They need to jam that new turbo SHO motor into a Focus with a manual trans and call it a Pinto SVT
They won't but you could.
I seem to recall talk of an ecoboost 4-cylinder. With AWD, could be fantastic. Just depends what price point Ford thinks it can hit with a straight face in this country.
After all, it would still be "just a Ford." :rolleyes:
lets hope they decide to go after the evolution/STI market, then they might pull out some stops, as well as the good euro parts from the parts bin.
Andrew
digdug18 wrote:
lets hope they decide to go after the evolution/STI market, then they might pull out some stops, as well as the good euro parts from the parts bin.
Andrew
Is the Evo/STi market really that big anymore? Big enough that Ford finds it potentially profitable to try and split it a third way in the US Market?
Honest question, not trying to imply that it's not.
Ford has had very little luck with Euro imports into the US Market. Off the top of my head, I can think of the '70s Capri, the XR4Ti, the Escort, and the Focus. Of those, the financially successful ones had nothing to do with performance.
I think price point is a huge part. If Ford does bring over a Focus or Fiesta RS, how much more will Americans pay over a base model? I know I can get a turbo FWD hot hatch from Mazda for about $24k, or a turbo AWD from Subaru for similar. Everything I've seen estimates that a stateside RS would be closer to $30k, which prices it right out of the market.
Ian F
Dork
3/3/10 12:15 p.m.
Agreed. The MINI JCW (base @ $30K) isn't exactly a big seller and the MINI is reasonably well established as a "premium" small car.
A Focus RS does sounds like a fun car, tho...
Hope it has the Revo-Knuckle and a 2-door body, otherwise forget it.
rogerbvonceg wrote:
They won't but you could.
I seem to recall talk of an ecoboost 4-cylinder. With AWD, could be fantastic. Just depends what price point Ford thinks it can hit with a straight face in this country.
After all, it would still be "just a Ford." :rolleyes:
Well, the $40,000 Taurus is selling in numbers that are quite a bit higher than expected. Straight face and all.
There will be an Ecoboost 4 cyl. Can't say what it will be in, but there will be one for sure- you'll see it within 12 months.
E-
JFX001 wrote:
Oh....Ecoboost Fiesta???
I'd buy that for a dollar!
JFX001 wrote:
alfadriver wrote:
rogerbvonceg wrote:
They won't but you could.
I seem to recall talk of an ecoboost 4-cylinder. With AWD, could be fantastic. Just depends what price point Ford thinks it can hit with a straight face in this country.
After all, it would still be "just a Ford." :rolleyes:
Well, the $40,000 Taurus is selling in numbers that are quite a bit higher than expected. Straight face and all.
There will be an Ecoboost 4 cyl. Can't say what it will be in, but there will be one for sure- you'll see it within 12 months.
E-
Oh....Ecoboost Fiesta???
I'll say that I don't expect that the vehicle won't be all that popular with this crowd.
So you do expect that it will be?
Keep in mind, Ken Block switching to Fords will be noticed by enthusiasts. Him in a Focus WRC (and a Fiesta) will show more Americans just how much we've been missing, and may increase demand for the high performance models. The Focus SVT was nice, but a Focus RS it was not.
cghstang wrote:
So you do expect that it will be?
My first guess is Escape
Second would be Transit Connect
Then I'd guess Fusion, but only available in front of an automatic.
EDIT: I read your post wrong, I thought you were asking what we expected it to be.
In reply to ReverendDexter:
I was just wondering if the double negative from alfadriver was intentional or not. Actually I thought it was intentional and he just won't spill exactly what platform the ecoboost 4 will be available in.
cghstang wrote:
In reply to ReverendDexter:
I was just wondering if the double negative from alfadriver was intentional or not. Actually I thought it was intentional and he just won't spill exactly what platform the ecoboost 4 will be available in.
oops, it wasn't intentional. I don't expect the vehicle to be overly popular with this crowd.. how's that?
But, no, I won't spill the beans (and I'm not working on it, either... at least right now).
E-
alfadriver wrote:
There will be an Ecoboost 4 cyl. Can't say what it will be in, but there will be one for sure- you'll see it within 12 months.
E-
At the Chicago Auto Show a couple of weeks ago they announced the 2011 Edge would get a 2L Turbo, and I thought they had announced a Fusion with the 2L Ecoboost a while ago, although I may just be remembering all the internet rumours. If there are more, blink twice. 
On edit: it looks like it's also going to be in the 2011 Explorer.
Bob
pmchase
New Reader
3/3/10 4:21 p.m.
The original Fiesta 1978-1980 sold like hot cakes for Ford , so not all Euro Fords were duds for them. Unfortunately it was replaced by the...
US Escort
alfadriver wrote:
JFX001 wrote:
alfadriver wrote:
rogerbvonceg wrote:
They won't but you could.
I seem to recall talk of an ecoboost 4-cylinder. With AWD, could be fantastic. Just depends what price point Ford thinks it can hit with a straight face in this country.
After all, it would still be "just a Ford." :rolleyes:
Well, the $40,000 Taurus is selling in numbers that are quite a bit higher than expected. Straight face and all.
There will be an Ecoboost 4 cyl. Can't say what it will be in, but there will be one for sure- you'll see it within 12 months.
E-
Oh....Ecoboost Fiesta???
I'll say that I don't expect that the vehicle won't be all that popular with this crowd.
It's in the new unibody Explorer. I bet $5.
Does the new unibody explorer rollover as easily as the old explorer? because that's a design feature I do miss.
Andrew
The Mondeo/Contour/Mystique was essentially the next "Euro Ford" that was "brought" to the US after the dismal sales performance of the Merkurs. In that regard, it blew away the Merkur record while still not quite meeting sales expectations or hopes. In the end, Contour production stopped so Ford could make more Escapes. (Same platform.) The difference between the two was that in the 80's, Ford was a "multinational." Ford US imported the Sierra chassis from Ford Europe, and bought the engines from Ford Brazil. By 1995, Ford had reorganized into a "Global Corp." The international team that had designed the Mondeo for 1993 converged on Detroit, tweaked the car for the US, and ramped up production in Kansas City.
Besides, by this time they were having pretty good success with the Focus, which was Ford's second attempt at a "world car." However, Ford rightly read the tea leaves of world marketing. Small, ultra-hot and expensive hatches sell well in Europe. Not so in the US. Here we love our big, powerful V-8 muscle.
