"With two consecutive Manufacturers' World Rally Championship titles under our belt, the time is right to create a new Focus RS," said John Fleming, Ford of Europe's President and CEO. "With the Fiesta and Focus ST models, Jost and his team have proved already that they can deliver exciting and practical performance road cars. The success of these models, combined with Jost's experience in motorsport and Ford of Europe's positive business results, mean that we now have a credible business case for a no-compromise Focus RS roadcar for more enthusiastic drivers."
"We have reviewed our technical options and worked closely with the Design team on how the car might look, and I'm very excited by the results," said Jost Capito, "Now with the programme going ahead, the hard work really starts as the small team working on the project takes the car from prototype to production."
"We will use the redesigned 2008 Focus ST as the base for a no-compromise RS model that will become the ultimate road-going Focus," Capito added. "Just as the Focus RS WRC owns the rally circuit, we want the new Focus RS to own the road, so we have the major competitors in our sights as we develop the car's performance, design, handling and braking."
"We're not ready to confirm any of the technical details of the new Focus RS yet - Jost and his team have a lot to do to finalise the exact specification and styling," said Fleming. "But make no mistake, I can assure you that ultimately, the car we plan to launch will be worthy of wearing the coveted Ford RS badge."
In a surprising development, the Volkswagen Group has grabbed the much-famed Jost Capito from the Ford Motor Company. The 53-year old will head the German company's Motorsport division effective May 1, 2012, replacing Kris Nissen, who will remain...
Ford's marketing countdown for the unveiling of the production 2012 Focus ST continues with the release of a second video featuring Jost Capito, Director of Global Performance Vehicles and Motorsport Business Development. Once again, we find Capito...
As much as North American buyers would have wanted to see the 300HP Focus RS making its way to this side of the Atlantic, unfortunately this isn't going to happen for the usual cost-related reasons. In an interview with Britain's Autocar magazine,...
Carscoop has received inside information that Ford will definitely introduce a successor to the highly acclaimed previous generation Focus RS (image above) in late 2008. We know that you’ve been hearing ambiguous news about the Focus RS the past...
There’s no need to get excited or anything since, as we informed you last night when we got the German press release in our hands, Ford didn’t include any technical details on the Kuga. What it does contain though is comments from various...