Ford Fiesta ST spied?

Is this the new Ford Fiesta ST, aka the Fiesta XR4? This photo of a high-spec performance-oriented Fiesta was spotted undergoing winter testing in New Zealand this week and could provide a clue as to the marque's next pocket rocket.

With a lowered ride height, wearing ice tyres and more agressive body work, the car in question appears to be more than a test mule, lending credence to a go-fast Fiesta in the works.

Ford has been relatively quiet on the Fiesta hot-hatch front for the past 18 months, neither confirming nor denying its existence. The most potent version of the global light car is still the Zetec model, powered by a 1.6-litre engine outputting a modest 88kW.

The Blue Oval is planning on introducing new direct-injection petrol engines to the Fiesta range in due course and it is likely the Fiesta ST or RS model would make use of either a 1.6-litre turbo or a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated unit, producing roughly 150kW. This would put the car in the same ballpark as the Volkswagen Polo GTI and Renault Clio RS200.

Other tweaks are expected to revolve around an upgraded chassis (stiffer suspension tune, upgraded brakes, fatter wheels), a six-speed manual gearbox and changes to the interior -- which may even include the binning of several unnecessary features to reduce weight. These upgrades would ensure the Fiesta halo model would attack apexes with far more vehemence than the standard models.

One of the most eagerly awaited hot hatches appears to be closer to production than we thought. Watch this space.

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