Is A Ford Fiesta RS Finally On The Way?

It’s rather hard to pick fault with the new Ford Fiesta ST. The powerplant is more interesting than the one in the old ST, the rear axle is endlessly playful, and there’s stacks of grip from the front boots. It’s astonishingly capable, amazingly communicative, and quite frankly, we can’t say enough good things about it.

With that in mind, a Fiesta RS (imagined above by X-Tomi Design) just seems a bit, well…needless, wouldn’t you say? We’re not averse to the idea of such a thing though, and rumour has it Ford is indeed cooking up an even faster Fiesta.

At the launch of the ST in France, Motoring.com.au asked Ford Performance boss Leo Roeks about the possibility of a Fiesta RS. “I can’t tell you, but I’m very busy,” was his answer, albeit with - Motoring says - “with a broad grin” slapped across his face.

That’s far from confirmation, but not a denial either. More importantly, the publication says “we understand both versions of the Fiesta [the RS and an automatic ST] are under development.” An RS version of the previous-generation ST meanwhile was rumored for some time, but failed to emerge.

As for when the RS version of the current-gen car might arrive, we can’t be sure. But with the ST having only just been launched to the press, we’re certainly not expecting it this year.