Autoblog

I don't know, I think you guys are over-reacting. Except for the fact that the fender vent is fake, it's not a bad-looking car. The lack of an SVT version is a dfferent matter of course. And the European model is quite fetching, but stylistically, there's nothing wrong with this design. I'd like to see one with a high performance suspesion and 200hp engine, but for the mainstream economy sedan buyer, this looks like a legitimate option.
Many manufacturers have eschewed the hardcore performance models in lieu of the more profitable bread-and-butter sedan market. It tends to piss off the enthusiasts, but in a dollars and sense mode, sometimes it seems the logical choice.
As someone has already commented, theses platforms are barely profitable at best, money-losers at worst. Ford has lost money on compact economy sedans for years. it's just not in a postion to continue doing that. So if they have a choice between axing the entire segment or trimming a few low volume models in hopes of making a marginal profit, they have to do the latter.
It would be nice if they could return to a position of sufficient financial strenght to invest in hot hatches again and build brand loyalty,but right now, they're just trying to keep the doors open.