The ongoing gestation of a new high-performance RS variant of the latest Ford Focus compact is, well, ongoing. Auto Express says Ford executives provided strongly worded hints that such a model is a done deal. At some point. (We’ve previously heard the RS could come to the U.S. for the first time and that it will get the same turbocharged, 2.3-liter four that will be offered in the 2015 Mustang.)
According to AE, a Ford spokesperson said the company has “a rich heritage of RS cars, and we’re not about to let any competitors overtake us in that respect,” before adding that Ford Europe’s design team is “fully focused on the future of [Ford's] performance strategy.” Furthermore, Ford Europe’s COO reiterated that “there’s a strong desire” within the company to continue the RS brand.
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We see no reason why Ford would let the RS brand slip, and we’re confident that the seemingly long and drawn-out RS development process is more a result of priority allocation than waning corporate interest in high-performance cars. The One Ford globalization push has jumped its huge initial hurdles, meaning the automaker likely will have more time now for less-mainstream projects like the Focus RS or the next generation of hot Mustangs.
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