FANS OF SMALL FORDS will be in mourning today after Ford Australia announced that the Focus ST, Focus ST X and Fiesta ST will depart the local line-up by the end of the year, “as the company focuses on areas of growing customer demand such as SUVs, commercial vehicles and electrification”.
“Both the Focus ST and Fiesta ST have been segment-defining hot hatches for Ford Australia and have put smiles on the faces of enthusiasts across the country, and we want to thank those fans for their passion,” said Andrew Birkic, President and CEO, Ford Australia.
“But with semi-conductor-related supply shortages and our focus on emerging areas of growth, we’ve made the difficult decision to call time on these iconic hot hatches in Australia. We look forward to sharing more about the next era of our performance vehicle line-up soon,” said Birkic.
Supply of around 40 Focus STs has been secured, meaning buyers will need to be quick to secure one of these exciting hot hatches before they leave the line-up.
Similarly, the Fiesta ST which can trace its lineage back to the Fiesta XR2 (1981) and the dawn of the supermini era will depart the line-up soon.
While Ford Performance fans will need to be quick to secure one of the last of these models in Australia, the Ford Australia line-up continues to offer great options for performance enthusiasts (but not for fans of small performance cars, apparently).
“The Ford Mustang remains the country’s most popular sports car, and we’re preparing for the launch of the Next-Generation Ranger Raptor which sets a new performance benchmark for dual-cab utes in Australia,” said Birkic.
Ford Focus ST, ST X and Fiesta ST owners will continue to be supported by Ford Australia with access to spare parts and maintenance.