Ahead of the end of production of the Ford Focus in November, the last-ever Ford Focus ST rolls off the production line.
When the decision to dump the best-selling Fiesta and Focus was made, Ford clearly thought its future would be EVs, but with demand for EVs falling well short of the bullish predictions of just a few years ago, and the lukewarm reception for Ford’s Mustang Mach-E and its VW clones, it looks like a move too early.
Dropping the Fiesta has handed sales to cars like the Peugeot 208 and Renault Clio (which has just arrived as a new model), and the end of Focus production will hand the VW Golf – already Europe’s third best-selling car in 2024 with 200k sales – a boost.
Now, ahead of the end of production of the Ford Focus in November, it looks like the last ever Focus Hot Hatch – the Ford Focus ST – has rolled off the production line at Ford’s plant in Germany.
It’s the end of the line for the Golf GTI-rivalling ST, which first arrived back in 20002 as the 167bhp ST170, with a second generation ST in 2005 with 225bhp, a third generation in 2012 with 247bhp and a final fourth generation arriving in 2019 with 276bhp.
This is the end of the line for the ICE Ford Focus ST, but don’t bet against it returning as a high-riding EV in the near future as Ford tries the ‘Capri Trick’ to boost EV sales.
mark .geller says
Had a Focus wagon for nearly 10 years. Amazing little vehicle. Never one issue. Completely bullet proof.