stilover

According to "Pistonheads" the development of the new 350Bhp 4wd Focus RS has been suspended. Bloody new it. Like I said in another thread, "If they build it I will eat my hair". I'll have gone bald before then !!!!!
Typical Ford. Even with the 4wd platform of the Volvo, Engine's from Volvo, most of the cost already spent developing these componets for Volvo, they can still not throw them together and create the RS.
When will they eventually bring it out ?????? when there is no market for it anymore, so they will loose money on it.
Someone at Ford needs a good hard kick up the a*se.

Dream Weaver

Hardly surprising really, Ford haven't built a special 4wd car for years now, shame

LINX

New this was going happen

Anyway, reckon the ST is gonna be a pretty sorted car though for a fwd, bring on the re-map's..........

Ford's build quality seems to be pretty much as good as most of the german and jap stuff now.

Adam M

perhaps if you worked on the inside at ford you might get a idea that a limited run of a few cars which are not particulalrly profitable is not the most convincing idea to get the managers to sign off on.

massive development cost for limited production runs with tiny returns don't make good business sense.

If it was an advertising ploy then it would be a different story. the marketing guys love high performance specials, but the development costs don't come out of their budget!

stilover

Surely though the development costs can't be that high. The platfrom is 4wd ready. They have already developed the 4wd system, it's in the Volvo's. They have they engines, again already in the Volvo. The only extra costs are different bumpers to the ST, different seats to the ST, an RS badge, and the cost of honeing the suspension to make it more hardcore than the ST. Most of the work is already done. Bobs your uncle, or Henry in this case.
I don't think they ever lost money on the Sierra Cosworths, or Escort Cosworth, and they were Halo models. Can't see any difference with them and the Focus RS

slim_boy_fat

Its not up to the individual department its up to the guy at the top to make the decision as he should e able to see the whole picture better then anyone else.



Sounds like a big mistake to me anyway, Ford still have a long way to go to improve there brand image and it’s the special cars that do it, not the basic fiestas and mundeos!!

Brother_Will

Well roll on 5 years a second hand focus repmobile and a wrecked Volvo V50 T5

R1916v

Yeah you'd just need to *******ise an ST with other off the shelf bits and it would be great