Ford Kills Its Beloved Hot Hatch In Another Country

“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.

We should also note that the Focus ST X is going as well. Think of this like Ford’s Autobahn trim for the VW GTI. It was the most luxe Focus ST trim, with adaptive dampers, 19-inch wheels, LED headlights, and a panoramic sunroof. How can such a decision causing so much agony, be rational? Ford says it’s simple.

The company is killing the fun, sporty, and affordable lineup because it wants to focus “on areas of growing customer demand such as SUVs, commercial vehicles and electrification.” We would not be surprised if slow sales played a role as well. Historically, that is one of the reasons these types of fun, affordable hatches die off.