European Ford Focus RS teaser hits the 'net, sales begin in 2009
It's been rumored, spied and denied, but the Blue Oval boys have finally made it official: the Focus RS is on its way. The successor to the Escort RS Cosworth and the last generation Focus RS will be based off the current Focus ST and come equipped with a turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-five producing around 280 HP and 295 lb.-ft. of torque.
The suspension and chassis will be tuned to compete with the new Evo X and Subaru Impreza STI, and will include plenty of rally-inspired kit, blistered wheel arches, hood vents, spoilers and a driver-centric interior fitted with deeply bolstered seats.
You can now count Ford among the automakers that still haven't understood releasing a darkened teaser of the newest hotness is only a few Photoshop minutes away from being unmasked, and the image above shows a huge front air dam, restyled headlamps and plenty of imposing exterior elements that are likely to give VW R32 owners a shock when it rolls up at their six.
The only questions now are how power will be sent to the wheels and what kind of gearbox the new RS will be fitted with. Expect answers when the Focus RS makes its debut sometime during the 2008 auto show season, right before the RS goes on sale in Europe in the spring of '09.
[Source: Ford]
PRESS RELEASE
Cologne, December 17, 2007 – Ford of Europe is confirming its plan to deliver an exciting all-new, high performance Focus RS model for launch in 2009. A design image released by the company today hints at the exciting direction the new model is taking.
The new Focus RS will be based on the dynamic new Focus ST. It will be developed by Ford Team RS, a specialist team led by Jost Capito who, as previously announced, is being appointed to the new role as Vehicle Line Director for Ford of Europe Performance Vehicles from January 1, 2008.
"With two consecutive Manufacturers' World Rally Championship titles under our belt, the time is right to create a new Focus RS," said John Fleming, Ford of Europe's President and CEO. "With the Fiesta and Focus ST models, Jost and his team have proved already that they can deliver exciting and practical performance road cars. The success of these models, combined with Jost's experience in motorsport and Ford of Europe's positive business results, mean that we now have a credible business case for a no-compromise Focus RS roadcar for more enthusiastic drivers."
The basic concept for a new Focus RS has been under development within Ford Team RS under Capito's leadership for some months already. Now that the programme has been given the 'green light', Capito and his team will be concentrating fully on this programme.
"We have reviewed our technical options and worked closely with the Design team on how the car might look, and I'm very excited by the results," said Jost Capito, "Now with the programme going ahead, the hard work really starts as the small team working on the project takes the car from prototype to production."
Stay Tuned
Ford of Europe will not reveal any of the technical details of the new Focus RS until closer to launch in 2009. The company plans to show a concept version of the car publicly for the first time in mid-2008.
"We will use the redesigned 2008 Focus ST as the base for a no-compromise RS model that will become the ultimate road-going Focus," Capito added. "Just as the Focus RS WRC owns the rally circuit, we want the new Focus RS to own the road, so we have the major competitors in our sights as we develop the car's performance, design, handling and braking."
"We're not ready to confirm any of the technical details of the new Focus RS yet - Jost and his team have a lot to do to finalise the exact specification and styling," said Fleming. "But make no mistake, I can assure you that ultimately, the car we plan to launch will be worthy of wearing the coveted Ford RS badge."
Get a WordPress.com Blog
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
John P. 8:35AM (12/17/2007)
I want one!
Reply
John R 8:35AM (12/17/2007)
Comments on how this will be the best Focus the States will NEVER get in 3...2...1...
Reply
spacegravity4me 5:27PM (12/17/2007)
shut up man! If you were stuck driving one at this point in your life you wouldn't be saying that. Does it happen all the time when autoblog post something about it, yea. But there's a good reason for it! We are getting screwed and I hate seeing how much better my car could have been instead of what I'm gonna be stuck with for the next ten years. Shoot, it'll cost me 4500 dollars for the turbo with the 2.0 duratec it's got, and that'll just get me 222 hp. That's good numbers for the power to weight ratio but it's a ton of money and maintenance also. It's a personal thing I guess, sorry. I've had a weird couple of years with this car and stuff. I'm gonna go outside now before i get depressed. Sorry.
John R 6:00PM (12/17/2007)
hmm, sorry if I've hit a nerve.
RG 8:41AM (12/17/2007)
280-hp and 295 lb-ft of torque and we are debating how the power will get to the wheels? I think we can be fairly certain that this will use AWD or else it would be pretty much useless.
I think with the EVO and STi moving upmarket and becoming more grown up (read: more expensive and slower), this Focus RS could re-introduce rawness into this market segment- something that I think would be welcome before it goes sompletely soft.
Reply
MixiM 10:18AM (12/17/2007)
Don't be so sure, the last Focus RS was FWD but featured an (at the time beeing) innovative LSD up front, that way you can still cope with that amount of power, but alot of torque steer though.. Since this ford is based on the same as the C30/S40 which are ready for a smaller AWD system the focus might be to. This car would be perfect if they fitted the latest system from Haldex! the XWD... Then the new focus RS would truly live up to it's badge! Love how ford europe is committing and exploiting their rally-success unlike peageut or citroen did/does...
emulous1974 9:01AM (12/17/2007)
For tranny and drivetrain, just take a look at the V70R and S60R, it's obvious where the engine is coming from.
Reply
Jared 8:48AM (12/17/2007)
And, due to Ford's management incompetence, we'll never see it here in the US.
Reply
compy386 8:50AM (12/17/2007)
Because fast halo cars is what got Toyota to where it is today...
Clinton 9:38AM (12/17/2007)
Burn
James 3:16PM (12/17/2007)
No, but fast affordable small cars got
Honda
VW
BMW (2002)
Subaru
Peugeot
Audi
Nissan
Mazda
to where they are
And you can actually add Toyota to that as the Corrola used to have a nice performance option before they killed it as did the Celica.
Alfa and Fiat were turned around by the 8C's advertising and hard work in making the rest of the lineup good looking and fun to drive.
The other thing to note is most other manufacturers have a defined ladder system to accommodate customers. Toyota does "sporty" econo fun with scion (and if they don't want to make them fast they fully push the tuner market to make them fast) and high end fun with Lexus.
the other brands mentioned above do the exact same thing.
If I want something fun and sporty from Ford that isn't a Mustang, I get........
A fusion? ... huh .. wha??!
I am sorry but I (and many others that have them) love their SVT Focus and I (and many others) will have to defect in a few years when they get too long in the tooth and every other brand recognizes that some people want a hot hatch, or at least a fun sedan.
Ford Europe is dragging Ford Motors into (slight0 profitability I don't see how those numbers (and our complaining) can be so wrong?
Willem B 8:50AM (12/17/2007)
when it does it could be interesting competition to the turbo cobalt SS
Reply
DJWhiplash2001 9:03AM (12/17/2007)
The Caliber SRT4 sounds similar - it's FWD. I'm not sure if this new Focus will be FWD or AWD, but if it's meant for people on a budget it likely will be.
I'm not sure if there is an AWD Focus available in Europe, but if not, I don't know if I would expect this one to be. The Focus RS was a hot hatch and it remained FWD. At the very least, this thing will get an LSD. AWD would be nice, especially with the Focus being in the WRC (maybe thats why they're doing it).
Stupid Ford not giving us Americans anything except the Mustang. :(. They even have a cool minivan (S-max) but they won't release it here :(.
Reply
markitos 3:06PM (12/18/2007)
Focus is FWD only in Europe, but if they are using a volvo engine they might use a volvo AWD also...who knows.
Tim 9:05AM (12/17/2007)
Even though I know the last Euro Focus RS wasn't all it was cracked up to be, and even though details aren't out yet regarding the next RS, they're bothy highly desirable. Desirability sells cars. Considering this (http://goodcarbadcar.blogspot.com/2007/10/2008-modified-ford-foci.html) GoodCarBadCar take on our North American Focus.... it's a safe bet most of us will figure the RS into our 'want one' equations.
Reply
Jim 9:14AM (12/17/2007)
Tim, the problem is that "most of us" (i.e. enthusiasts) aren't a big enough market in this country to make much of a difference. Which is what people like those behind "GoodCarBadCar" seem to forget.
Tim 9:19AM (12/17/2007)
Jim, I never suggested that they bring the car to North America, just that it is a highly desirable vehicle. Desirability sells cars, just look at the last, very idiosyncratic Focus RS, and how it sold in the UK and Europe. No, "most of us" aren't a big enough market to get an RS over here, but I can't imagine you'd think those behind GoodCarBadCar are wrong in suggesting that Ford's current small car strategy in North America is terrible.
stang fan 9:23AM (12/17/2007)
If this Focus is indeed the sucessor to the Escort RS Cosworth...then it will be AWD since the Escort was AWD.
Reply
Avinash machado 9:28AM (12/17/2007)
The SVT Focus was the closest the Americans had to a RS. But now even that is not available anymore. GM and Chrysler have the Cobalt SS and the Caliber SRT so Ford is the odd man out.
Reply
judd 11:12AM (12/17/2007)
The thing is if Ford brought this types of models, maybe people would even start to thinking maybe I'd buy a Ford, but nope. They keep giving you cars that only the hardcore Ford buyers would look at. Civic or VW owners wouldn't even think about comparing Ford's current cars side by side without laughing.
Reply