Fiesta ST Concept (2012 / 2013) to show at Frankfurt

Ford Fiesta ST - expected at Frankfurt

It’s being reported that one of Ford’s debuts at the Frankfurt Motor Show next week will be a concept version of the Ford Fiesta ST.

There was a time when it seemed likely Ford would abandon all plans for a hot Fiesta. They seemed convinced that a Fiesta ST would be anathema in our seemingly eco-obsessed times, but fortunately they’ve had a change of heart.

We reported back in September 2010 – after we had spy shots of what appeared to be the new Fiesta ST – that Ford were planning to cash-in on their WRC Fiest profile to finally bring us a Fiesta with a bit more get-up-and-go than the Zetec S could manage.

Then in April we got the nod that Ford would take the Fiesta ST to Frankfurt, this year with plans to get it in to showrooms sometime later in 2012. Which is exactly what Carscoop are reporting this morning.

The Fiesta ST is Ford’s answer to some of the very successful hot super-minis that now proliferate the car landscape. Cars like the Polo GTI and the Fabia vRS (basically the same car) which offer cracking performance – 0-60mph in around 7 seconds – couple with some very decent economy figures when you’re not out playing.

We still expect the hot Fiesta to get the 1.6 litre version of Ford’s Ecoboost engine delivering something in the region of 180bhp, which should put it on a par with the GTI and vRS in performance terms.

The ST will also get a more aggressive visage with a deep front bumper, a spoiler bolted on to the top of the tailgate, a diffuser set in to the new back bumper, twin exhausts and a set of big alloys. The usual stuff.

The only problem we see for the Fiesta ST is price. When Ford divvied-up the Fiesta 1600S limited edition recently – with a big stripe and 134bhp – they pinned a £16k price tag on it. That’s as much as the very appealing – and much more powerful – Fabia vRS.

Which makes us think the Fiesta ST is going to arrive somewhere the wrong side of £18k, which will put it on a par with the Polo GTI.

Which may just do a lot for Fabia vRS sales.