Ford’s starting to come out on its own here in the Philippines. After years of selling what’s basically re-badged Mazdas (remember the Lynx?), Ford has been able to capture a good market with the sporty looking Focus hatch and I’m seeing a good number of Fiestas around lately.
As for the really good stuff, we’ve yet to see more hardcore versions of these cars. The Focus has had the ST model and the RS model but it seems that they sold out without even reaching our shores. Now Ford will be coming out with the 2012 Focus ST later this year and it will be sold in Asia together with Europe and North America.
Specs wouldn’t be an issue too. Usually, there are differences between American and Euro-spec even with the hardcore models. European spec models were usually the top brass. But Ford has announced that the with the popularity of the Focus worldwide, equal treatment will be given to the ST models to be sold around the world.
The car is powered by a 2.0L EcoBoost engine that dishes out 247 hp and 266 lb-ft of torque and comes with a standard 6-speed manual gearbox. The ST will also get a tuned electric power steering and sport seats.