Ford Australia has announced that two of its hot hatch fan favourites – the Focus ST and Fiesta ST – will be discontinued from its local offering by the end of this year, as the company focuses on areas of growing customer demand such as SUVs, commercial vehicles and electrification.

“Both the Focus ST and Fiesta ST have been segment-defining hot hatches for Ford Australia and have put smiles on the faces of enthusiasts across the country, and we want to thank those fans for their passion,” said Andrew Birkic, President and CEO of Ford Australia.

“But with the semi-conductor-related supply shortages and our focus on emerging areas of growth, we’ve made the difficult decision to call time on these icon hot hatches in Australia. We look forward to sharing more about the next era of our performance vehicle line-up soon.”

Sales of the Focus ST and ST X have been falling steadily over the past 18 months, with 286 deliveries in 2021 but only 72 in the first half of this year. Similarly, sales of the Fiesta ST have dropped from 342 to just 71. Excluding the Niche Transit Bus, the two hatchbacks have been Ford’s worst-selling models in 2022.

With the last shipment of 40 Focus STs on its way, and an undetermined number of Fiestas sticking it out to the end of the year, the Mustang will become the sole remaining passenger car in Ford’s local line-up – with all other models being utes, SUVs, four-wheel drives, or delivery vans.

“The Ford Mustang remains the country’s most popular sports car, and we’re preparing for the launch of the next-generation Ranger Raptor which sets a new performance benchmark for dual-cab utes in Australia,” continued Birkic.

Ford Focus and Fiesta owners will continue to be supported by Ford Australia with access to spare parts and maintenance.

Source: Ford Focus ST and Fiesta ST to depart Australian line-Up

8 August 2022