UPDATE: At an event this morning, Ford President and CEO Mark Fields confirmed that the Focus RS will be sold worldwide. Fields said, "We have a new Focus RS coming to market, and it's coming globally." We will update this story with further information as its received.
The original story continues below:
We've been hearing rumors that the U.S. will get a Ford Focus RS super-hatch for months. Now we have some exclusive info on what's coming. A Ford source has confirmed to Road & Track that the next-generation Focus RS is likely to come to North America in extremely limited numbers. Unlike its predecessor, it'll be AWD.
The old car (shown above) featured a turbocharged inline 5 pushing 305 hp to the front wheels through what Ford called the RevoKnuckle, to reduce what would otherwise be shoulder-dislocating torque steer. The new car wipes the board clean and starts over. In addition to AWD, the RS will be the only Focus to pack Ford's new 2.3-liter Ecoboost four-cylinder, available now in the Lincoln MKC and very soon in the 2015 Mustang.
In the Mustang, this engine makes 310 hp, 320 lb-ft of torque. In the just-released Lincoln MKC crossover, the same engine makes 285 hp. In both applications, a twin-scroll turbo is employed.
Our source says that at this stage, the Focus RS horsepower numbers aren't finalized, and we don't know if it'll pack the same Honeywell twin-scroll turbo as its stablemates. If we had to place a wager, we'd bet on near-Mustang power levels for the Focus RS, putting it well above the Focus ST in the pecking order.
What we hear squares with other rumors about the Focus RS coming stateside, while fleshing out some more specifics. A number of hurdles still remain, however: marketing studies, government certifications, and corporate willpower—but it ultimately looks like the VW Golf R will get some serious competition next year. We can't wait.
UPDATE: We have additional details about the upcoming 2016 Focus RS from another trusted source, including power output, so let's start with that. With the Mustang GT's V8 holding down a 435 hp spot at the top of the Ford performance pecking order (for now, until the 2016 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 emerges), the Focus RS is free to turn up the horsepower wick. Since the 2.3-liter Ecoboost is easily capable of more than its 310 hp output in the Mustang, which was dictated more by fuel economy concerns than anything else, the RS is free to pump out between 325 and 350 hp. The higher figure is more likely. This is because as a low-volume, niche product that doesn't compete with the Mustang GT, there's no reason to hold the Focus RS back.
To put the power down, Ford will employ an entirely new AWD system intended for high-output applications. It's not the same system employed on the Fusion, Escape, and MKZ. The new system will employ torque vectoring front and rear to aid handling, and after debuting in the Focus RS it will trickle down to other applications.
That means the Focus RS might have some high-performance AWD company in Ford's lineup soon.
