Ford Might Kill The Hotter Focus RS500 Project

If you were eagerly waiting for Ford to bring out an even faster version of the Focus RS, then you won’t like what you’re going to read on next.

Ford is on the verge of abandoning the Focus RS500 project because the business case for the model isn’t solid enough, according to Autocar.

Despite our spies having spotted prototypes of the Focus RS500 being tested, the whole project is facing problems, including Ford’s issue with the model’s position within their own range. “It could be treading on other cars’ toes,” said well-placed sources to the British publication. And by other cars, the sources mean models like the Mustang GT.

And while overlapping sales with the Mustang is not a big issue in Europe, Ford’s US dealer network is still unsure whether they want a model like this. Without the US market, a car like the Focus RS500 will not be able to justify its development costs, making the whole thing a struggle.

Ford has looked though at making a ‘RS500-lite’ model with smaller budget and aimed exclusively for the European market. The smaller budget though would have taken its toll on the model’s technical content, with a source saying that something like this “might dilute the RS brand”.

Time is also another of the project’s problems as the window to get the Focus RS500 into production is narrowing, with Ford planning to discontinue the current Focus model in late 2017.

Let’s cross our fingers then and pray for Ford to do the right thing, which is giving us a 400hp AWD hatchback for our grocery shopping.

Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoops