Ford Focus RS will not be coming state side.
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Lexus Champion
Joined: Jul 2008
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From: Park Ridge IL
Ford Focus RS will not be coming state side.
About a month ago WCF published a story about a Ford Focus RS spotted in Michigan. This raised some hopes of Ford taking some RS stock stateside. Further fueling this speculation was an interview done by Automotive News with Ford's director of advanced product creation and global performance, Hermann Salenbauch, in which the man was quoted as saying his company was looking for feedback (about the RS) from media and the public. "How much do they like it? Is it really what they want? We are pretty confident that it is," he said.
Fast forward to now and it appears the wind has changed direction. AutoCar interviewed Jost Capito, the new head of Ford's global performance division. Capito and his team of bean counters reckon the whole exercise of homologating the RS for North American consumption would be too pricey to bear.
"We'd like to," said Capito, "but the base car isn't homologated for North America and that's too costly a job to carry out just for a niche vehicle like the RS."
Again we cannot help but wonder how it is that Ford's best-performing hatchback ever will not be sold on the Blue Oval's home soil. That's a bit like Sony selling the PlayStation console series everywhere else but in Japan.
Fast forward to now and it appears the wind has changed direction. AutoCar interviewed Jost Capito, the new head of Ford's global performance division. Capito and his team of bean counters reckon the whole exercise of homologating the RS for North American consumption would be too pricey to bear.
"We'd like to," said Capito, "but the base car isn't homologated for North America and that's too costly a job to carry out just for a niche vehicle like the RS."
Again we cannot help but wonder how it is that Ford's best-performing hatchback ever will not be sold on the Blue Oval's home soil. That's a bit like Sony selling the PlayStation console series everywhere else but in Japan.
I'm a bit disapointed since I'm a big fan of hot hatches and the RS is up theyre with the best of them. Now with troubling times I wont get to see one. It would make a great replacement for my old Cooper S.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 7,864
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From: Massachusetts
Why would we get what we want? That's crazy.
American automakers have always thought that we Americans don't like/want euro-styled/tuned cars. Yet, we have always bought them while making import brands successful all the while sending American brands into or near bankruptcy because of building what they think we want.
I like this quote:
It's so true and GM and Ford has done this for years. Offering all of their best products overseas instead of their home market.
American automakers have always thought that we Americans don't like/want euro-styled/tuned cars. Yet, we have always bought them while making import brands successful all the while sending American brands into or near bankruptcy because of building what they think we want.
I like this quote:
Again we cannot help but wonder how it is that Ford's best-performing hatchback ever will not be sold on the Blue Oval's home soil. That's a bit like Sony selling the PlayStation console series everywhere else but in Japan.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,483
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From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
Ford must have recently changed its mind. Road and Track magazine did an RS write-up in last month's issue and said, at that point (if my memory is right), that it appeared to be a go for America.
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