Photo: Ford
Last year, Subaru increased the price of the BRZ in the United Kingdom by 15 percent over CO2 emissions. Ford followed suit in 2021 for a different reason called Brexit, hiking up the price of the Fiesta ST and Puma ST.
As expected, increased tariffs of non-EU and UK components are to blame. According to Autocar, the difference from December 2020 to January 2021 for the Fiesta ST with the ST-2 trim level boils down to £1,455 or $1,990 at current exchange rates. The ST-3 and ST Edition went up by £1,695 both, which is a lot of money for a small car that goes like stink in the twisties.
The Puma ST, which is manufactured at the Craiova plant in Romania, went up from £28,495 to £30,415 with no equipment upgrades whatsoever. That works out to an additional £1,920 or $2,630 at today’s exchange rates, and I can’t help but feel sorry for the Blue Oval and the automotive industry as a whole.
What is most worrying about the effects of Brexit is how these tariffs affect potential customers. Hot hatchbacks aren’t as popular as they used to be, which means that fewer Fiesta STs will be sold over the prohibitive pricing point. A subcompact crossover with the performance of a hot hatch may be seen as a niche product by some people, but at the end of the day, don’t forget that utility vehicles of all sizes are all the rage in this day and age.
According to a Ford spokesperson, Autocar understands that “some of the engine components used in the production of both models are sourced from the United States.” It’s these parts that push the Fiesta ST and Puma ST over the allowable proportion of parts made outside of the United Kingdom and the EU, explaining the increased tariffs that are exacerbated by Brexit.
As a brief refresher, both models rely on a three-cylinder EcoBoost engine with 1.5 liters of displacement. Internally referred to as the Dragon, the all-aluminum lump develops 200 PS (197 horsepower) at the crankshaft as well as 290 Nm (214 pound-feet) of torque from 1,600 up to 4,000 rpm.
The Puma ST, which is manufactured at the Craiova plant in Romania, went up from £28,495 to £30,415 with no equipment upgrades whatsoever. That works out to an additional £1,920 or $2,630 at today’s exchange rates, and I can’t help but feel sorry for the Blue Oval and the automotive industry as a whole.
What is most worrying about the effects of Brexit is how these tariffs affect potential customers. Hot hatchbacks aren’t as popular as they used to be, which means that fewer Fiesta STs will be sold over the prohibitive pricing point. A subcompact crossover with the performance of a hot hatch may be seen as a niche product by some people, but at the end of the day, don’t forget that utility vehicles of all sizes are all the rage in this day and age.
According to a Ford spokesperson, Autocar understands that “some of the engine components used in the production of both models are sourced from the United States.” It’s these parts that push the Fiesta ST and Puma ST over the allowable proportion of parts made outside of the United Kingdom and the EU, explaining the increased tariffs that are exacerbated by Brexit.
As a brief refresher, both models rely on a three-cylinder EcoBoost engine with 1.5 liters of displacement. Internally referred to as the Dragon, the all-aluminum lump develops 200 PS (197 horsepower) at the crankshaft as well as 290 Nm (214 pound-feet) of torque from 1,600 up to 4,000 rpm.
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