Report: Ford Focus RS Will Arrive in 2016 as a European Import

2009 Ford Focus RS (Credit: © Ford)

The Ford Focus RS is one of the most hotly anticipated releases in the coming years, and there has been no shortage of news on it ranging from spy shots to speculation on what’s under the hood. There have even been reports that Americans may see the powerful RS model in dealerships once it finally hits production, but Ford has remained rather mum on that topic.

The Truth About Cars reportedly got some information from a source within Ford who said the Focus RS will be in U.S. dealerships starting in 2016. As with all of these reports from anonymous sources, you may want to add a pinch of salt.

The insider went on to tell TTAC that the Focus RS will carry a base MSRP that is just a few thousand dollars north of the range-topping Focus ST3. This would likely put it in the $32,000 range. Additionally, the source claims that the Focus RS will cannot be built in the States, so Ford will import it from Europe. This importing means that stock will likely be very limited, and limited stock means liberal “market adjustments” to the Focus RS’ price at the dealership level.

The source also reported that the 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine, which is rumored to produce 325 to 350 horses, will mate to an all-wheel-drive system. This addition of AWD will help prevent the RS from suffering the traction issues some front-wheel-drive hot-hatches have.

All I can say is that I certainly hope these reports are mostly true — I can live without the limited-stock issue — and we’ll see the RS on American streets in 2016, but I will remain skeptical until the day Ford confirms it.