Ford is planning to introduce a new sports-tuned range of ST-Line models to sit below its ST and RS hot hatch variants and offer performance car appeal to volume car buyers.
The new ST-Line will replace the current Zetec S range this summer and will broaden the number of engines available with sporty Focus styling.
Powertrains will include Ford’s 1.0-litre Ecoboost and the 1.5-litre TDCi turbodiesel, both offering sub-100g/km CO2 emissions and 60mpg-plus fuel economy.
The new ST-Line has been developed to harness the halo effect of Ford’s outstanding new Focus RS, a Motoring Research five-star car that has so far received more than 3,000 orders even before being available in UK dealers; the first cars arrive in UK showrooms this month.
Speaking to Motoring Research, Focus RS product boss David Calder said the launch of the Focus ST-Line was part of the ST renaissance that’s being driven by the high-profile acclaim of the RS – a car currently being featured in Ford’s ‘Unlearn’ branding campaign.
But although they’ll have a much broader range of engines, the ST-Line cars won’t be mere badged-up styling exercises. “They’ll still have sports-tuned chassis,” he confirmed, building upon the Zetec S models that to date have been relatively undiscovered variants within the Focus range.
“Our intention is to create a strata of products below RS, for those who’ve seen our hot hatch halo but don’t have £30,000 to spend on a car.
“It will mean dealers can say to customers, ‘here’s another alternative, with the same DNA, for two-thirds of the price’.”
