Ford made two official announcements today that relate to company’s performance vehicles and motorsports operations. First, the company is restructuring its performance division into a single global team called Ford Performance. The new team will include the current SVT, Team RS, Ford Racing divisions under one unified umbrella. The chief engineer of the 2015 Ford Mustang – Dave Pericak – will lead the new Ford Performance team.
One of the outcomes of this global resource unification is the second announcement. The 2016 Ford Focus RS will be a globally available vehicle. Yes, the RS nameplate that has teased us from across the pond for several decades is finally coming to North America and United States.
Ford did not disclose many more details than this. The Focus RS will slot above the current Focus ST in power, performance, and capability. In all likelihood, it will be officially unveiled at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show on January 12th, 2015.
What will power the next RS? This is speculation at this time. However, EcoBoost power is the logical choice. Perhaps, the 2.3L four cylinder from the 2015 Mustang that makes well over 300 horsepower? The RS is also likely to be all-wheel-drive. It will go against other high performance hot hatches, such as the VW Golf R.
Check out this TFLcar full video review of the 2013 Ford Focus ST.
Andre Smirnov is a life-long automotive enthusiast, software engineer, writer, and reporter. He has been writing and reporting at TFLcar since 2011.
