The next-generation Ford Focus RS is still about a couple of years away and, although the company has yet to confirm its development, reports about the high performance hatchback->ke304 keep pouring in with all sorts of details.
The latest piece comes from Britain's Auto Express, who almost managed to pull a confirmation from a couple of Ford->ke31 representatives during a recent company event in Italy->ke2094.
"Let's say there's a strong desire. Something like that makes a great halo car," Ford->ke31 of Europe CEO Barb Samardzich said when asked about a successor to the RS. While this statement doesn't shed too much light on the car's development, a Ford spokesman hinted that the company is hands deep into a new superhatch.
"We have a rich heritage of RS cars, and we’re not about to let any competitors overtake us in that respect. You can rest assured that Martin (Smith, director of design at Ford of Europe) and his team are fully focused on the future of our performance strategy," he stressed.
Although no details were squeezed out of the two officials, Auto Express claims the new RS could arrive with as much as 350 horsepower under the hood. The figure matches the output available on the limited edition Focus RS500 and represents a 20-horsepower bump over previous reports. As we've already mentioned, the hatch will be motivated by a 2.3-liter, four-pot EcoBoost engine similar to the one fitted in the 2015 Mustang.
The new RS is also expected to arrive sometime in 2016 and wear a sticker of around £27,000, which is nearly $46,000 at current exchange rates. There's no word as to when the vehicle will reach U.S. shores, but stay tuned to TopSpeed for more details.
Click past the jump to read more about the future Ford Focus RS.
Why It Matters
The most important thing is that Ford is quietly admitting a brand-new RS is underway. Official confirmation isn't likely to come very soon, but as long as the company keeps providing the "we can't talk about future products" routine, you can rest assured it's coming. So start saving for that awesome RS.
The highly-anticipated Ford Focus RS is still surrounded by mystery and it's no wonder that the details around it are somewhat foggy and get updated quite often. For instance, output has been tossed around between 320 and 350 horsepower figures a few times, while other rumors suggest the RS will only get a five-door version.
What we do know for sure is that the hatchback will keep its front-wheel drive architecture for weight purposes and that it will feature a RevoKnuckle front suspension and a set of big brake rotors.