SPY PICS: Hotter Focus RS 500 on the way

Lightweight construction and high-cost components are the hallmarks of a new variant of the Focus RS 500 Ford is planning to bring to market.

Pictured here, the low-volume RS 500 can be distinguished from the mainstream production car by the fluted bonnet and larger intakes.

Power for the hotter Focus will be eked out of a modified version of the 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine that currently produces 257kW and 440Nm. Late last year we reported that the higher-performance RS 500 will have to produce at least 260kW to gazump the Mercedes-AMG A 45 and the Audi RS 3.

The standard Focus RS rips off a 0-100km/h time of 4.7 seconds, which is 0.4 slower than the Audi and 0.5 slower than the Mercedes. Ford will have to tweak the hyper Focus for a time at least half a second quicker, on that basis. But as we reported back in November, Ford won't be content with merely stripping the A 45 of its crown by a measly 0.1 seconds; it's speculated that the blue oval wants nothing less for the hyper hatch than a sub-4.0 second time.

Achieving that may not be the huge undertaking it appears to be, on the face of it. Fitting optional 19-inch alloys and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 semi-slick tyres can assist the standard RS 200 to post a 0-100km/h time much closer to the mark for the Audi and the Mercedes.

Apart from changes to the engine tuning and wheel/tyre combination, Ford is reportedly playing around with an electronically-controlled limited-slip differential up front, and a GKN rear final drive unit, both receiving torque via a modified version of Getrag's PowerShift dual-clutch transmission.

Improving the car's power-to-weight ratio from the other angle, Ford will likely strip as much as 100kg from the RS 500, using carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic body panels, forged aluminium suspension, carbon-fibre brakes and polycarbonate glazing – rather than glass.

Sound-insulating material and other interior fixtures will also be dispensed for the balance of the weight saving.