The final Ford Focus ST has rolled off the production line in Germany, ahead of the nameplate disappearing entirely in the near future.
In a photo posted to the Ford Focus ST/RS owners group on Facebook, what is claimed to be the last Focus ST (a red wagon) was pictured at the end of the Saarlouis production line in Germany, with the vehicle completed on September 26.
The facility isn’t yet closed, with a Focus ST-Line – equivalent to Hyundai’s N Line models – behind it and continuing to be produced, though order books for the model have closed in Europe.
Ford is set to bring an end to the 27-year-old Focus nameplate by year’s end, though the demise of the Focus ST marks the first time since the Fiesta Supersport of 1980 that Ford won’t have a hot hatch in its global lineup. Prior to that, the brand was also known for its hot Escorts and Cortinas.
With the Focus ST no longer in production and the Fiesta already dead, Ford’s only passenger vehicle on sale in global markets is the Mustang, with the two-door sports car significantly dearer than its now-former predecessors.
Ford Australia had already killed off the Focus locally in 2023, with the ST being the last variant standing by the time it departed showrooms. Across its 21-year local run, almost 206,000 examples of the Focus were sold in Australia, peaking at 19,180 deliveries in 2013.
The Focus ST can be traced back to the first-generation ST170, which later dropped the numerical moniker to become the second-gen ST, complete with a turbocharged five-cylinder Volvo engine.
This was sold in Australia as the XR5 Turbo – aligning it with the Falcon XR performance range – but later fell in line with the global name with the arrival of the third-gen turbo-four model, followed by the short-lived fourth and final Focus ST.
While Ford is focused (pardon the pun) on SUVs and commercial vehicles in a majority of markets, global brand executive chair Bill Ford recently told Autocar it could return to the passenger vehicle segment.
“Well, of course we’ll go on,” Ford said when asked if the brand which bears his name will continue to operate in Europe.
“On the passenger car side, we realise we’re not as robust as we need to be.
“But as Nick (Ford) says, we’re working on our future strategy right now. But I think you’ll be surprised – pleasantly surprised – by what’s coming.”
In July an Automotive News Europe report claimed Ford CEO Jim Farley had issued the brand’s European division to develop new passenger cars, while dealers in the region were also informed of the move.
A more recent Autocar report suggested Ford would lean on the ethos of the Focus for a new mid-sized SUV to join its lineup in 2027.
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