Ford Fiesta RS not in the plan

After the brilliance of the Ford Fiesta ST, the world is eagerly awaiting an even more intense version of the vehicle, potentially a full-blown Fiesta RS.

The global motoring media has reported on several occasions that a 185kW boosted version of the Fiesta ST is happening, with sightings of test mules in Germany the evidence.

Ford Performance, the special ops hot shop that came up with the incredible new Ford Focus RS and several other go-fast models, is working on a number of models at present, possibly even a Ford Ranger-based Raptor, but a Fiesta RS is not one of them, according to Tyrone Johnson, chief engineer at Ford Performance.

"We don't talk about future products," the engineering boss told motoring.com.au.

"But in terms of Fiesta RS I've seen some comments from senior Ford people that it's definitively not in the plan.

"So typically we don’t talk about future product, but on that particular one because there has been so much chatter, there has been comments along the lines of "not in the plan".

Given that a hotter, all-wheel drive version of the Focus RS was regularly refuted in the past, however, there's still plenty of hope from the faithful wanting a Fiesta WRC-look-a-like with improved engine, suspension and braking performance.

But Johnson is not convinced.

"Would I love to see a 700hp Fiesta? Yes. Will it ever happen? No."

What the Ford Performance executive would tell us, however, is that there's plenty happening within the company's research and development halls, with another seven new performance models due by 2020 keeping his team busy.

Johnson confirmed he is already working on the next project after the just-launched Focus RS, but when asked whether it will be faster than the new hot hatch hero said "that would be giving too much detail".

So will it be a global model? "Of course. Absolutely," he said.

Time will tell if the Fiesta RS really is just a fantasy as Johnson suggests, or whether it is in fact Ford Performance's next hot hatch.

Whatever sports car does come next from Ford, it will need to be very special indeed to follow in the footsteps of the feisty new Focus RS.