Photo: Ford
It is a sad day for hot hatch enthusiasts living in Australia, as the country will soon lose two of the most exciting ones: the Ford Fiesta ST and Ford Focus ST.
The information is official and has just been confirmed by the Blue Oval in a statement through the voice of its local President and CEO, Andrew Birkic. The head honcho blamed this move on the semi-conductor shortage and on the growing demand for crossovers/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 Birkic. “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..”
Ford states that around 40 units or so of the Focus ST are still looking for new homes in dealer lots. The front-wheel drive compact hot hatch is joined by a few examples of the smaller Fiesta ST, a front-wheel drive supermini hot hatch, which can trace its roots all the way back to the Fiesta XR2 from 1981. Ford Performance’s local branch says that fans will have to be quick if they want to secure one, assuring them that they will continue to support these vehicles with spare parts and maintenance; otherwise, they will have to make do with other models, as there are no direct replacements in the pipeline.
“We look forward to sharing more about the next era of our performance vehicle lineup soon,” added Birkic. “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.”
“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 Birkic. “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..”
Ford states that around 40 units or so of the Focus ST are still looking for new homes in dealer lots. The front-wheel drive compact hot hatch is joined by a few examples of the smaller Fiesta ST, a front-wheel drive supermini hot hatch, which can trace its roots all the way back to the Fiesta XR2 from 1981. Ford Performance’s local branch says that fans will have to be quick if they want to secure one, assuring them that they will continue to support these vehicles with spare parts and maintenance; otherwise, they will have to make do with other models, as there are no direct replacements in the pipeline.
“We look forward to sharing more about the next era of our performance vehicle lineup soon,” added Birkic. “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.”
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