A fresh report out of Australia suggests that Ford is hard at work developing both a dual-clutch version of its new Fiesta ST hot hatch and a hardcore Fiesta RS hyper hatch.
According to motoring.com.au, an automatic Fiesta ST is set to arrive first, with the rumoured Fiesta RS to follow by 2020.
The addition of a dual-clutch model to the new Fiesta ST (currently offered in six-speed manual guise only) would allow Ford’s B-segment blaster – which employs a turbocharged 1,5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine producing 147 kW and 290 N.m – to compete directly with self-shifting models such as the Renault Clio RS and latest Volkswagen Polo GTI.
And the supposed, first-ever Fiesta RS? Well, little is known about this one (we’d obviously expect shoutier styling and further improved performance, likely courtesy of a larger engine), although rumours of its existence are certainly not new.
The Australian publication questioned Leo Roeks, the head of Ford Performance in Europe, about these two proposed models. His reply, accompanied by what motoring.com.au described as a broad grin? “I can’t tell you, but I’m very busy”…
