Richard Bazzy
1 Comment

Yes, the 2016 Focus RS is Still Coming (Probably at Geneva)

Decrease Font Size Increase Font Size Text Size Print This Page
2016 Focus RS is still coming

The 2016 Focus RS is still coming, but you probably still aren’t quite ready for its brand of madness

Ford announced the consolidation of SVT, Team RS, and Ford Racing under the Ford Performance banner at the beginning of December, and one of the very first vehicles that it confirmed was the long-awaited Focus RS. Naturally, this left some confused when Detroit came and went and there was no news whatsoever about the crazy little hot hatch.

So why exactly was the 2016 Focus RS absent from NAIAS? Quite probably for the reason that Road & Track stated when it reported on Ford Performance’s showing in Detroit: it’s being saved for Geneva.

Given the certifiably European flair about the Focus RS, you can pretty well guarantee that it will be revealed in March. With the emphasis on Ford Performance being an all-encompassing global brand, and consistent with rumors that have been floating around seemingly forever now, it would then stand to reason that the Focus RS would make its North American debut a month later at the New York Auto Show.

While we still know very little of what the 2016 Focus RS will be, Road & Track reports that it will indeed use the same 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder that powers the 2015 Mustang EcoBoost. In a new bit of news, it’s reported that it will share its AWD platform with the potentially-outed-by-Neil-Young Lincoln Continental, which R&T says is on the schedule for a New York debut.

Given the spotlight-grabbing done by the Ford GT, which managed to even overshadow the most track-capable Mustang ever built and a new F-150 Raptor by a wide margin, giving the Focus RS its own stage to let its freak flag fly is likely the best choice Ford can make.