At the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in September, Ford previewed its upcoming Fiesta ST with a thinly disguised concept based on the three-door hatchback model.

Now, the Detroit-based carmaker is heading to this month’s Los Angeles Auto Show with a five-door hatchback variant of the Fiesta ST that should give us a taste of the North American model.

“With the Fiesta ST Concept, we are demonstrating that our global performance plan has legs,” says Jost Capito, Ford director of Global Performance Vehicles

“The Fiesta ST Concept shows in the most dramatic way possible that the qualities that define an ST are not limited to one model [the Focus ST]. The potential for delivering the ST experience to an even wider audience is laid bare by this exciting new concept,” he added.

While Ford refuses to officially confirm the production of the Fiesta ST concept, it’s more or less a done deal and it’s only a matter of time before we hear more details.

As for the five-door study, it gets the same styling treatment as the Frankfurt Show Fiesta ST 3d with a bespoke front end, a raft of aerodynamic enhancements, a lowered suspension and widened wheel arches filled with 17-inch alloy wheels.

The concept uses a 1.6-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine delivering an output of 180 horsepower and 177 lb.-ft. of torque, with power transferred to the front wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox.

The Fiesta ST 5d Concept will be joined at Ford’s L.A. Auto Show stand by the U.S.-spec 2012 Focus ST that’s powered by a 250HP 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine and the competition Focus ST-R.

FORD FIESTA ST 5D CONCEPT FORD FOCUS ST & ST-R