Less than a couple of weeks ago we found out that the Ford Fiesta RS might finally happen. It was Ford Performance Europe boss Leo Roeks who hinted about the possibility, but we just learned that the Fiesta RS remains just a rumor for the time being. The news comes from Ford's head of design for Europe, Amko Leenarts, who argued that an RS model isn't necessary because the Fiesta ST is fast and powerful enough.

In Leenarts own words to AutoRAI.nl: "We see no reason to bring a more powerful Fiesta model above the ST. The performance of the new Fiesta ST is already at such a high level that a more powerful model is not necessary."

This isn't the first time Ford denies that a Fiesta RS is in the works only a few weeks after the vehicle is unofficially confirmed, so it adds even more to the confusion surrounding this hatchback. At this point, no one really has any idea if the Fiesta RS will happen or not. Meanwhile, Volkswagen could be working on a more powerful version of the Polo GTI, so it remains to be seen if Ford will change its mind about the Fiesta ST being fast and powerful enough.

Previous rumors claimed that the Fiesta's new platform, shared with the EcoSport, can be fitted with an all-wheel-drive system without massive costs. This is basically what stopped Ford from making a Fiesta RS in the past, and the main issue was finally out of the way. It was also rumored that the 1.5-liter three-cylinder in the ST might be replaced with a 2.0-liter, EcoBoost four-cylinder in the RS, with output to increase from 197 to around 250 horsepower. The latest predictions claimed a 2019 release. I guess we can only wait and see what happens.

References

Read our full speculative review on the 2019 Ford Fiesta RS

Read our full review on the 2017 Ford Fiesta

Read our full review on the 2018 Ford Fiesta ST.

Read more Ford news.