Ford will proceed with plans to offer the sub-compact hot hatch to market after having received positive reviews for the Fiesta ST Concept. Steve Ling, Ford’s Marketing Manager, said that the ST treatment will be applied on the Fiesta next. The last time that the Fiesta ST was seen was at the Geneva Motor Show last year. Back then, it was a production ready model that was expected to make it in Europe. Ford has yet to confirm if the super-subcompact will be offered in other regions. It’s likely that a Fiesta ST (most probably a 5-door hatchback instead of a 3-door for Europe) is on its way to North America. Ling said that the same torque vectoring control system technology in the Focus ST will be used in the new Fiesta. The torque vectoring control system uses a mix of an electronic limited slip differential that uses the brakes to slow the inside wheel in a corner, and an electronic steering system that gets rid of torque steer. This system and suspension were developed by Ford on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. If the “One Ford” strategy is used on the Fiesta ST, it would probably have Ford’s 1.6-liter EcoBoost 4-cylinder, which delivers 180-hp and 177 lb-ft of torque, making it the most powerful sub-compact on the market. [source: AutoGuide]
Ford Fiesta ST Concept to enter production
by Andrew Christian, Email, 21 Aug, 2012
Ford Fiesta ST Concept Five-Door
