Before Ford announced its plans to switch to the Mustang in Supercar competition from 2019, the company confirmed New Zealand's Ford Performance road car range will be bolstered by a new-generation hot hatch next year.
Ford have wiped all doubt surrounding the Ford Fiesta ST's possible exclusion from the New Zealand market with the company's Australasian President and CEO Graeme Whickman confirming the all-new hot hatch will go sale in Q2, 2019, joining the 2018 Mustang, Ranger Raptor, and Focus RS and ST in the Ford Performance line-up.
Ford say the new-generation, three-cylinder turbo Fiesta ST will offer enthusiasts a fun-to-drive, dynamic and advanced hot-hatch, carrying the torch of the existing Fiesta ST which won numerous motoring awards around the world, including 22 in its debut year.
Read our full Ford Fiesta ST Preview
“It’s the Jack Russell of cars; boundless energy and fun in a small package,” said Marketing Manager Ford New Zealand, David Herbert.
“The new Fiesta ST will no doubt be hotly anticipated by enthusiasts around New Zealand; for those who enjoy driving and see driving as something far more than just getting from A to B.”
The next generation Fiesta ST is the most compact model in the Ford Performance line-up. Built in Germany and based on the highly-praised seventh-generation Fiesta, the 2019 Fiesta ST is powered by a three-cylinder turbocharged engine from Ford’s EcoBoost engine line-up producing 147kW of power and 240Nm of torque, matched exclusively to a six-speed manual transmission.
The Fiesta ST is renowned for its chassis dynamics, driver involvement and point-to-point real-world performance.
“Next generation Fiesta ST customers will benefit from innovations developed by Ford Performance for the Ford GT supercar and Focus RS hot hatchback, including high power EcoBoost and Drive Mode technologies,” said Ford Performance global director, Dave Pericak.
“Working as one unified Ford Performance team helps us better deliver our core fun-to-drive experience and democratise sophisticated performance-enhancing features for every customer.”
Full details of New Zealand's Ford Fiesta ST range will be announced closer to the models launch date.
