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Ford Performance Car Sales to Surpass 200,000 in 2016

BoostBumps

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1474909545072.jpg

http://performance.ford.com/enthusi...round-the-world-turning-to-ford-in-recor.html

SEP 26, 2016 | Ford Motor Company Press Release


  • Ford?s lineup of performance cars -- including Mustang, Focus RS, Focus ST and Fiesta ST -- has caught the eye of younger and more affluent buyers across the globe

  • This year Ford will sell more than 200,000 performance cars globally, nearly double the volume from just three years ago

  • Ford Performance will have 12 all-new models by end of the decade, as promised, including two to be delivered later this year: F-150 Raptor and Ford GT

DEARBORN, Mich.
-- Younger, more affluent car buyers are choosing Ford for its growing lineup of performance vehicles -- particularly cars -- that get them where they need to go with added thrill. Performance car customers view driving as an absolute emotional, positive experience and relish getting into a car to test their capability on great roads.

This year Ford will sell more than 200,000 performance cars globally, including Mustang, Focus RS, and Focus ST and Fiesta ST -- nearly double the volume from just three years ago.

Demand for the Shelby GT350 and 350R Mustang is so high, those models are sold out for the 2017 model year. Focus RS, recently introduced for the first time globally, has sold out in every region around the world. Sales of Mustang, the world?s best-selling sports coupe in 2015, continue to grow in Europe and Asia Pacific after limited availability last year.

As consumer demand for performance cars grows, the Ford Performance brand is also expanding its vehicle portfolio. The all-new F-150 Raptor arrives in the U.S. during the fourth quarter. It then heads to China for the first time, too. And more than 6,500 consumers applied to own the first 500 Ford GT cars, which begin arriving late in the year.

?Ford?s commitment to performance leadership continues, with Ford on track to deliver 12 new performance vehicles promised by the end of the decade,? said Dave Pericak, Global Director, Ford Performance.
 


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#3
If they really do come out with a Fiesta RS in a few years I'll be getting one. If not I'll be buying the Focus RS when I get back to the US.
 


Waterfan

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If the Fusion Sport is doing as well as they hope (looks like a budget Audi S4 to me), my guess if for them to develop this into a full-fledged Fusion ST (or RS considering it is AWD already) as 1 of the 12. With a proper manual transmission of course.
 


Rhinopolis

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If the Fusion Sport is doing as well as they hope (looks like a budget Audi S4 to me), my guess if for them to develop this into a full-fledged Fusion ST (or RS considering it is AWD already) as 1 of the 12. With a proper manual transmission of course.
Everything that I have read about the Fusion Sport is that it's a nice performance sedan but not a sporting car. If Ford were to go after more serious cars with the basics of that platform (AWD, turbo, 4 doors) then I look forward to seeing what they come up with.

The Ford of the moment for me is the GT350. If you haven't watched Randy Probst do a hot lap in the GT350R, check it out.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/other/2016-ford-mustang-shelby-gt350r-hot-lap/vp-BBwlAcX

The dealer nearby my house has a GT350 with only a $10k markup...lol. If money were no object I would get one for sure.
 


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Ford needs a simple, light weight, rear drive car with the Fiesta ST motor. Something akin to the FRS/BRZ but with more torque from an ecoboost drivetrain. Cap the price around $25k or less and take people's money.
-2,800# max
-RWD, manual tranny
-225hp/tq
-simple cockpit with nice seats
-offer a club sport package for weekend racers with Bilstein suspension, bigger brakes, Recaro's for another $5k
 


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#7
This is all really good news. The more Ford and their dealers see a payoff to performance vehicles, even in small runs, the more likely they (and other manufacturers) are to innovate and take chances on niche performance products in the future. This recent success was far from a foregone conclusion and it very easily could have gone the other way in the really tight market for small cars we have at the moment. Glad to see this bet pay off.
 


BronxBomber

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Ford needs a simple, light weight, rear drive car with the Fiesta ST motor. Something akin to the FRS/BRZ but with more torque from an ecoboost drivetrain. Cap the price around $25k or less and take people's money.
-2,800# max
-RWD, manual tranny
-225hp/tq
-simple cockpit with nice seats
-offer a club sport package for weekend racers with Bilstein suspension, bigger brakes, Recaro's for another $5k
This would be great, but without another platform to offset the development costs of a brand new platform, it probaly won't happen. If Ford already had a small RWD platform, I would say yes. Also remember that type of vehicle would somewhat cannibalize sales of the Mustang. I would love that. If Subaru made a turbo BRZ, I would take a long hard look, but it would probably be waaay to much money as the regular BRZ already crests over 30k when optioned.
 


M-Sport fan

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#9
If the Fusion Sport is doing as well as they hope (looks like a budget Audi S4 to me), my guess if for them to develop this into a full-fledged Fusion ST (or RS considering it is AWD already) as 1 of the 12. With a proper manual transmission of course.
Even a "proper" REAL SMG would do as well, but sadly probably add $10K to the price. [:(]
 


M-Sport fan

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Everything that I have read about the Fusion Sport is that it's a nice performance sedan but not a sporting car. If Ford were to go after more serious cars with the basics of that platform (AWD, turbo, 4 doors) then I look forward to seeing what they come up with.

The Ford of the moment for me is the GT350. If you haven't watched Randy Probst do a hot lap in the GT350R, check it out.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/other/2016-ford-mustang-shelby-gt350r-hot-lap/vp-BBwlAcX

The dealer nearby my house has a GT350 with only a $10k markup...lol. If money were no object I would get one for sure.
Same here.

IF I had the coin, a no options/stripped GT350R would be in my driveway right now, $35K+dealer gouging notwithstanding! [driving] [wink]
 


M-Sport fan

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This would be great, but without another platform to offset the development costs of a brand new platform, it probaly won't happen. If Ford already had a small RWD platform, I would say yes. Also remember that type of vehicle would somewhat cannibalize sales of the Mustang. I would love that. If Subaru made a turbo BRZ, I would take a long hard look, but it would probably be waaay to much money as the regular BRZ already crests over 30k when optioned.
The other problem is that, despite all of the media pre-release hype/histeria about these cars, and the import fanboy/sport compact/drift market's promise to grab these up faster than they could build them, it has been a sales failure for both the Nippon Giant, and Scooby.

ALL other manufacturers will look at this, and yes, even GM's sales failure with the Solstice/Sky, and say an emphatic; "NO THANKS" (or at least their bean counters in control of the company will), sadly enough for us. [:(]
 


Waterfan

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#12
The other problem is that, despite all of the media pre-release hype/histeria about these cars, and the import fanboy/sport compact/drift market's promise to grab these up faster than they could build them, it has been a sales failure for both the Nippon Giant, and Scooby.

ALL other manufacturers will look at this, and yes, even GM's sales failure with the Solstice/Sky, and say an emphatic; "NO THANKS" (or at least their bean counters in control of the company will), sadly enough for us. [:(]
Yup.

They had the perfect opportunity to become a S2000 replacement and be a runaway success, but failed because power to weight ratio was nowhere near the S2000

S2000: ~2800 lbs / ~240 hp - 11.7
BRZ/FRS: ~2800 lbs / ~200 hp - 14

Basically they missed being total awesomeness (my words) by 40 hp (+20%). If you want the general public to give up practicality for a performance coupe, the car needs to have unambiguous performance.

Exhibit B: Mustang GT. $33k 435 hp, 3700 lbs - 8.5 lbs/hp.
Lesson: Give the BRZ/FRS 8.5 lbs/hp (~330hp and supporting chassis mods) and you can price it like the Mustang GT
 


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It would be PHENOMENAL if one of those 12 new performance models were a Fiesta RS, but as many on here have said, "don't hold your breath". [:(]
This is why I plan to build my own :)

I was an odd ball with the FoRS before it came out, hoping to retain FWD and loose some weight. Well it did the opposite lol but at least the AWD is configured for handling over just acceleration.

I would love a FiRS and it wouldn't need much but this is exactly why I bought one so I could make my own. As you stated, don't hold your breath. The only thing I know that I can quote is Ford stated they would not make 2 RS's at the same time. They also said they would like to make the RS more often or for better terms not have a 7 year cycle.
 


BronxBomber

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This is why I plan to build my own :)

I was an odd ball with the FoRS before it came out, hoping to retain FWD and loose some weight. Well it did the opposite lol but at least the AWD is configured for handling over just acceleration.

I would love a FiRS and it wouldn't need much but this is exactly why I bought one so I could make my own. As you stated, don't hold your breath. The only thing I know that I can quote is Ford stated they would not make 2 RS's at the same time. They also said they would like to make the RS more often or for better terms not have a 7 year cycle.
Don't think I would ever buy a FiRS. Ford said that it would remain FWD. A lot of us on the forum already have cars that give greater performance in handling as well as power than what Ford would likely put into a FiRS. Now if you're worried about mods voiding your warranty, then I can see the allure of a factory Fiesta that gives you greater performance than currently available from the FiST, but I highly doubt if they do make one that it's going to be rated at more than 250 bhp with some upgraded suspension and styling cues. It would probably come in at around 27k by my guess. At this point my FiST is at around 240whp or 275 bhp and I'm currently upgrading my Cyborg to a Cyborg39. If the next Fiesta came as an RS with AWD, I would probably be all over it assuming it retained most of its driving characteristics and remained fairly light weight. Again, not holding my breath. If not AWD, then a clubsport with Recaros and BBK with emphasis on lightweight would pique my interest.
 


M-Sport fan

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Don't think I would ever buy a FiRS. Ford said that it would remain FWD. A lot of us on the forum already have cars that give greater performance in handling as well as power than what Ford would likely put into a FiRS. Now if you're worried about mods voiding your warranty, then I can see the allure of a factory Fiesta that gives you greater performance than currently available from the FiST, but I highly doubt if they do make one that it's going to be rated at more than 250 bhp with some upgraded suspension and styling cues. It would probably come in at around 27k by my guess. At this point my FiST is at around 240whp or 275 bhp and I'm currently upgrading my Cyborg to a Cyborg39. If the next Fiesta came as an RS with AWD, I would probably be all over it assuming it retained most of its driving characteristics and remained fairly light weight. Again, not holding my breath. If not AWD, then a clubsport with Recaros and BBK with emphasis on lightweight would pique my interest.
Even an AWD FiRS would not have to come from the factory with huge power, just with the ability to handle (stronger yet whole long block, big fueling/cooling systems, strong LSD diffs/axles) as much power as this community will throw at it. [wink]

I agree that the weight would have to stay under 2900 lbs. though, which will be difficult to do with all of the added systems involved. [:(]
 


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[???:)] HOW do you plan to add drive to the rear wheels?? [dunno]
IMO not needed but I haven't really tested my vehicle yet beyond stock. My Balt SS was over 300whp, ST 260-280whp ish with 350wtq. I'm not into drag racing really so my traction is all about throttle modulation.

I wouldn't want the FiRS to be AWD, adds too much weight. You have a vehicle with an excellent starting point when it comes to weight so why ruin it? Depends on your goals but I have never thought to myself in any FWD vehicle I have owned that I wish it was AWD, even driving through a blizzard lol. Keep it simple, add some power and better suspension along with outlines needed for a HP2 vehicle (30 minutes on track with out loss of performance).

I would say even a 2.0 swap but my time researching this vehicle so far has me thinking the 1.6 does very well and seems to be on par if not better then the 2.0 in terms of adding power. There is no replacement for displacement but fuel wise we are on par with the FoST and they don't take anything over 400whp too well. I believe the head on the 2.0 is a huge bottleneck and we should be lucky our engine likes to flow well :)

Some people love AWD, I just don't care for it. It would make it easier to build up from stock and put power down, but then you look at all the nannies the FoRS has with it's AWD and realize it's still limited in terms of traction and launch control. They may brake the code but no luck yet and any power you add in a sense goes to the front. IMO a FiRS should be take the weight advantage to the next level and focus on that. Strip it like a 458 Speciale and follow the ideology of the FoRS with driving pleasure over pure numbers but in a Fiesta way. Who wouldn't want a 2650 lb Fiesta with 250whp, BBK, better dampers/bushings, LSD, Chassis stiffening, and with some mods be able to hit 300whp. That is my idea of a FiRS and my goal for my FiST. How far I get depends on future products though :)
 


Waterfan

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#18
<snip>IMO a FiRS should be take the weight advantage to the next level and focus on that. Strip it like a 458 Speciale and follow the ideology of the FoRS with driving pleasure over pure numbers but in a Fiesta way. Who wouldn't want a 2650 lb Fiesta with 250whp, BBK, better dampers/bushings, LSD, Chassis stiffening, and with some mods be able to hit 300whp.
Right or wrong, around here Ford RS designation is synonymous with AWD. The self-made "FiRS" you just described is awesome no doubt, but we still call it "a heavily modified FiST". Though it's still only bolt-ons, so I don't know "heavily" is really true.

YMMV

Cheers (and grats!)
 


M-Sport fan

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^^^AGREED, and with the exception of that last gen, Brit/Europe only, FWD, Focus RS/RS500, or the VERY early, RWD RS Escorts, the RS designation has also always meant AWD even in Fordspeak. [wink]

Maybe call the heavily breathed on FiST described above an ST250, or the like, or even bring back the SVT moniker. [dunno]

I would still want a GREAT and REAL AWD system (even with a lockable and 'biasable' center diff!) in an actual FiRS, which is MUCH better/stronger than the current FoRS's system, yes, even despite the weight penalty!!
 


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#20
^^^AGREED, and with the exception of that last gen, Brit/Europe only, FWD, Focus RS/RS500, or the VERY early, RWD RS Escorts, the RS designation has also always meant AWD even in Fordspeak. [wink]

Maybe call the heavily breathed on FiST described above an ST250, or the like, or even bring back the SVT moniker. [dunno]

I would still want a GREAT and REAL AWD system (even with a lockable and 'biasable' center diff!) in an actual FiRS, which is MUCH better/stronger than the current FoRS's system, yes, even despite the weight penalty!!
There have been less AWD RS vehicles then any other??? The Escort and the Sierra being the last ones over 20 years ago. RS relates to rally heritage which is why things like the RS200 exist. This is around the time Rally went AWD and RS vehicles followed suit. The vehicles follow markets and it was right for the FoRS to have AWD this time, no EVO and very outdated STI.

The RS badge has outlines and basically needs to be a certain percent above it's ST variant (HP1-HP2).

The FoRS AWD system has proven itself so far. It is a great engineering example of how to overcome a common problem called understeer. I'm not sure how many AWD vehicles you have driven but many disappoint in the hot hatch world if you drive them hard. The Evo being one of the better and the Golf R being one of the worst in terms of driving at the limit. The problem still remains as stated before with the analogy of a hyped up bolted ST is that there is no getting around the vehicles routes in being a FWD layout. This causes many problems for what you want and the FoRS really did a swell job of nailing all criteria for a fun AWD vehicle. The system adds minimal weight and acts like a RWD vehicle with TQV. I would prefer this system in a FiRS over any, especially a Haldex based system. The FoRS is limited to it's nannies but it does what it was intended to do better then any vehicle in it's segment and then some. It was never stated to be a drag car but a drivers car and you hear it over and over with journalists stating nothing could outrun it on a back road.
 


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