New Ford Focus RS hot hatch is dead in the water, claims fresh report

By: CAR magazine

The Focus RS is seemingly dead. A fresh report out of France claims Ford will not build an RS-badged hyper hatch based on the fourth-generation Focus.

According to Caradisiac, the Blue Oval brand has confirmed the Focus RS project has been scrapped, largely thanks to increasingly stringent emissions regulations in Europe. The report furthermore suggests the move forms part of Ford’s push to save money.

A story from February 2020 claimed the future of the Focus RS nameplate was hanging in the balance as Ford’s engineering team searched for a “solution” to keep the flagship performance model alive.

According to Autocar, the firm was attempting to develop a full-hybrid powertrain that wouldn’t negatively impact the firm’s average fleet CO2 emissions figure, which has to be capped at 95 g/km under the new EU regulations.

The publication claimed Ford was using its 2,5-litre petrol-hybrid powertrain (as employed by the latest Kuga in Europe) as a base, attempting to both extract more oomph and cut weight. Now, however, it seems the model will not happen at all.

Of course, the previous-generation Focus RS hot hatch was removed from Ford SA’s pricelist back in November 2018, with production having ceased in Germany in April of that year. And in July 2019, the Blue Oval brand’s local arm told CARmag.co.za it had “no current plans” to bring in the new, fourth-generation Focus hatchback…

Related Articles
R8

After Nearly Two Decades, The Audi R8 is No More