2012 Ford Focus ST Spied

2012 Ford Focus ST - Production-ready by Frankfurt in September

The 2011 Ford Focus is now starting to hit the roads in earnest (especially on the roads near Cars UK Towers), but what we’re really looking forward to is a new Focus with a bit more get up and go.

We’re hoping Ford are still going ahead with plans for the Focus RS Hybrid by 2013, but what we do know for sure  is that we will be seeing a warmer Focus in the 2012 Focus ST before the end of the year.

We know that because Ford told us. Not only did they tell us, they took an early preview version of the 2012 Focus ST to the Paris Motor Show in September, complete with de rigueur ‘Tangerine Scream’ paintwork.

And now we find the 2012 ST out playing. Our friends over at WCF (who grabbed the photo at the top) reckon this is a 2013 Focus RS mule being tested, but we think it’s far more likely to be the 2012 ST.

Despite the lack of a big ‘Look at me’ mesh grill up front, this test mule features the wide and flat, centrally mounted exhaust pipe we saw on the show car in September. And the timing’s right too.

We expect to see the 2012 Focus ST at Frankfurt in September in production form before going on sale at the start of 2012, complete with 250bhp Ecoboost lump and a sub-6 second 0-60mph – on a par with the old RS.

And then we can look forward to the 2013 Focus RS.

By Cars UK