Ford have revealed their long-awaited Fiesta ST in concept form at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
Following on from the unveiling of the production Focus ST yesterday Ford has now revealed a concept version of what will be the hottest version of the new global Fiesta, which will take on rivals such as the RenaultSport Clio 200, Mini Cooper S and VW Polo GTI.
The styling is bold and features the same large, honeycomb, trapezoidal grille design as the Focus. This is part of a much more aggressive front design which also features redesigned headlights, a bigger bumper and bigger foglights.
At the rear there is a large diffuser with integrated twin exhaust pipes as well as a larger spoiler. Other styling touches are widened arches which house 17-inch alloy wheels and the introduction of the Molten Orange paint from the SVT F-150 Raptor pickup.
Under the skin, the Fiesta ST uses a 6-speed manual gearbox mated to a 1.6L turbocharged EcoBoost engine which is inspired by the similar unit in Ford’s World Rally Championship Fiesta. The engine produces 178bhp and 177lb ft torque; performance that will provide a 0-62mph time of under 7 seconds and a top speed of over 135mph.
The use of an EcoBoost engine however, means good fuel economy and a CO2 figure of around 140g/km.
Derrick Kuzak, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development said, “The Fiesta has a rich history of high-performance models so a new ST performance model is a logical next step in our performance vehicle strategy for our global small cars. The Fiesta ST Concept continues that tradition by showing how a global performance version of our best-selling B-car can be both technically advanced and dramatically styled.”
Kuzak continued, “With a racing silhouette inspired by the global Fiesta race and rally cars currently competing on the world stage, and influenced by the unique appearance of the all-new Focus ST, the new Fiesta ST Concept is an exciting demonstration of the road-going Fiesta’s future potential.”
Jost Capito, Ford’s director of Global Performance Vehicles said, “With the Focus ST we promised to deliver uncompromised sports performance and styling to a truly global audience for the first time, without sacrificing Ford’s key values of Smart, Safe, Quality and Green. With the Fiesta ST Concept we are demonstrating that our Global Performance Plan has legs. The Fiesta ST Concept shows in the most dramatic way possible that the qualities that define an ST are not limited to one model. The potential for delivering the ST experience to an even wider audience are laid bare by this striking new concept.”
Although this is officially a concept it is expected that a production version will be on sale by summer 2012 and will likely have little or no visual changes over this Frankfurt show car.
Source: Ford