Nissan may be turning away from its performance car plans, but Ford seems hell bent on building a whole new portfolio of hot wheels.
Hot on the heels of the debut of its Le Mans bound GT supercar and launch teasers of the long-awaited second-generation Focus RS, comes news the Blue Oval is planning an even more powerful version of the Fiesta.
The pocket rocket Ford could be a powered up version of the existing Fiesta ST or temptingly, may be amped up to full RS status. European sources suggest the new hotshoe Fiesta will arrived within the lifespan of the current model. This translates to a debut within the next 18 months.
The Blue Oval has outlined plans to reinvigorate its Ford Performance brand. Although cars like the next-gen Mustang GT will take the limelight, hotter Fiesta and Focus models sold for the first time to a world market are key to the financial success of this enterprise.
Ford will unveil the new Focus RS at next month's Geneva Motor Show. The car has not been officially confirmed for Australia but will almost certainly go on sale here.
In the meantime, Ford will launch a new look updated 184kW Focus ST hot hatch here in April.