New Ford Fiesta ST starts production ahead of first deliveries in March

Ford has started production of the new Fiesta ST at its plant in Cologne ahead of first customer cars arriving in Ford’s UK showrooms in March.

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The new Ford Fiesta ST started its journey in to a production car back in 2011, with Ford revealing the new Fiesta ST Concept complete with the then still to come Aston Martin style grill, butch bits and a bright orange paint job.

By the time the Fiesta ST arrived at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show it had turned in to a full production model – with little change from the concept – and we finally got UK prices for the Fiesta ST last month, with the promise that Ford would be getting the first STs to customers in March.

That plan looks like it’s on track as Ford announce the Fiesta ST has now started to roll off the production line in Cologne (and even the first STs coming off the line get Ford’s orange statement paint job).

At a starting price of £16,995 (and an extra £1k for the ST2 trim with more goodies) the new Fiesta ST looks to offer a fair amount of style and performance for the money.

Its 1.6 litre EcoBoost engine is good for 178bhp, a 0-62mph of 6.9 seconds and official economy of 48mpg. The ST comes complete with added butchness, Recaro seats, 17″ alloys, DAB, AirCon and lowered suspension, and if you spend the extra for the ST2 you’ll also get LED headlights, Keyless, Climate and part leather.

So if you want a hot little Fiesta, then join the queue. We reckon there will be strong demand, especially as the Fiesta ST undercuts the new Peugeot 208 GTI by a full £2k whilst offering almost identical performance.