Ford Focus ST Unveiled At Beijing Auto Show 2012

Ford Focus ST (Photo: Ford)

The latest Ford Focus ST made its debut in Asia at the Beijing Auto Show 2012 on Monday. Ford announced that for the first time ever, Focus ST, its first global performance car, will be available in China and will be released in 40 countries.

"The new Focus ST is a really exciting car for Ford, being the first performance model to build upon the design and technology strengths of our One Ford strategy,” said Nigel Harris, Ford Motor China's head of sales. "It’s a car built for driving enthusiasts around the world – and in China – and they will not be disappointed."

Ford Focus ST features a new, more aggressive exterior design, including a redesigned front bumper with larger air intakes and grille, larger rear wing, wider side sills, center exit exhaust, and alloy wheels. Inside, the car receives a trio of additional gauges mounted in the dashboard, faux-carbon fiber trim, and sport seats with body colored inserts and stitching. 

The ST uses a 247 hp (184 kW) & 340 N·m (250 lb·ft) version of the 4-cylinder 2.0L EcoBoost engine, a gain of 25 hp above the previous Focus ST which used a larger 2.5L 5-cylinder engine. Compared to the previous ST, the new model has the same 0 to 100 km/h time and has a 2 mph higher top speed. Another significant improvement is weight; the new car is 30 kilograms (66 lb) lighter than its 5-cylinder powered predecessor.