[Flofocus]

http://www.topgear.com/uk/ford/focus-rs/...gn=ongoing

[NOS2Go4Me]

Epic. Well done and sadly only 500 copies, none of which are coming here.

A reminder of what the Focus can be if we all scream loudly enough.

[cornflakes]

It's so sad FoMoCo could never cash in on bringing the best focus model (RS) here to North America. As sweet as the RS500 is, idk why they couldn't have made it a regular, bcuz it's really not that much more than a WRX sti of which we have a ton here o.O

Ford would definitely have risen to #1 in America if the RS was here a decade ago (both in brand name image and actual sales).

[Spinal]

(02-02-2011, 11:46 PM)cornflakes Wrote: idk why they couldn't have made it a regular, bcuz it's really not that much more than a WRX sti of which we have a ton here o.O

because the amount of people that would actually pay 50k for a focus you could probably count using your hands and feet. and for the same/less money you can get something with AWD - i don't know about you i'd be more inclined to get that.

[ZTWsquared]

(02-04-2011, 03:32 AM)Spinal Wrote: because the amount of people that would actually pay 50k for a focus you could probably count using your hands and feet. and for the same/less money you can get something with AWD - i don't know about you i'd be more inclined to get that.

Your statement above is undoubtedly true, but then again a bit of perspective changes things a bit.

In 2004 we had the second most powerful Focus available in Europe which was the ST (SVT) and although it didn't sell in huge numbers, Ford had no problem selling all that they made. And the price was about 150% the cost of the entry level Focus.

Starting 2005 all that changed because we no longer had the same Focus in Europe ... and although the 2005 ST was a good car with decent performance, it was also only available in sedan and not competitive with competitive hot hatches.

So starting with the 2012 model, with Focus on the same platform as in Europe, let's look at the numbers.

In the UK today an entry-level new Focus starts at £15,995 ... or roughly 26,000 CAD - compared to 16,000 for an entry level Focus here.

The last price I saw for an RS in the UK was £27,000 and yeah that's about $44k CAD ... but it's also just 160% of the UK entry level Focus.

So if, and I know it's a big if ... Ford of Canada could sell the RS here at 160% of the entry level Focus ... that would give us a price of just $25,600. Personally I think there'd be long waiting list for that car at that price.

[OAC_Sparky]

(02-04-2011, 08:24 AM)ZTWsquared Wrote: The last price I saw for an RS in the UK was £27,000 and yeah that's about $44k CAD ... but it's also just 160% of the UK entry level Focus.

So if, and I know it's a big if ... Ford of Canada could sell the RS here at 160% of the entry level Focus ... that would give us a price of just $25,600. Personally I think there'd be long waiting list for that car at that price.

Yeah but Ken, they don't sell the sedan in Europe; that means that their entry-level Focus is the hatch that sells for £13,170 + VAT= £15,995 THAT one sells here for $20,000 + 1500 delivery + 13% HST (base) = $24,295. So (without knowing the price of the new RS) using the 160% differential that would ring in at $39,000, which is sticker for a Mustang GT.

Not sure if the lineup would be as long as you think. I know, I was waiting to lineup and got tired of waiting.

[ZTWsquared]

(02-04-2011, 05:41 PM)OAC_Sparky Wrote: Yeah but Ken, they don't sell the sedan in Europe; that means that their entry-level Focus is the hatch that sells for £13,170 + VAT= £15,995 THAT one sells here for $20,000 + 1500 delivery + 13% HST (base) = $24,295. So (without knowing the price of the new RS) using the 160% differential that would ring in at $39,000, which is sticker for a Mustang GT.

Not sure if the lineup would be as long as you think. I know, I was waiting to lineup and got tired of waiting.

True Mat about the sedan / hatch thing ... but OTH the hatch starts at the SE trim level whereas the sedan starts at S - and that's most of the price differential. Here the SE sedan is only a grand less than the hatch.

And yes the inclusion of delivery and the VAT does skew my numbers somewhat, but having said that - even if you strip out the delivery and taxes, the base sedan in the UK is still 4,000 more than it is here in comparable Canadian dollars.

So I think my overall point is still valid, which is to say that we shouldn't use the European pricing model to try and determine the possible price of the same car built in NA. Ford can do a lot in terms of series content and option selection to vary the ultimate MSRP, not to mention the more arbitrary decisions they can make with respect to volume profitability.

Perhaps comparing to Mexico is better (and also serves to weaken my point LOL) but in Mexico at today's exchange rate a 2011 Focus RS costs 36K (not sure if that includes taxes and delivery tho) ... which is about 180% of the cost of the base 5-door hatch.

[OAC_Sparky]

(02-04-2011, 10:41 PM)ZTWsquared Wrote: True Mat about the sedan / hatch thing ... but OTH the hatch starts at the SE trim level whereas the sedan starts at S - and that's most of the price differential. Here the SE sedan is only a grand less than the hatch.

The point I was trying to make is that you compared the UK price differential between the bottom trim level and the RS trim level to arrive at your "160%" number. But in NA there is an "extra low"** trim level that skews that number. If we're looking at the differential as a function of "trim upgrade levels" then you have to start at the equivaent trim level here.
**Unfortunately for us "enthusiasts" this counts against us. While we look at the RS and salivate, the general public still looks at the car and says (a) "it's just a Ford" and (b) "it's just a Focus" and can't justify a near $40,000 pricetag.

Quote:Perhaps comparing to Mexico is better (and also serves to weaken my point LOL) but in Mexico at today's exchange rate a 2011 Focus RS costs 36K (not sure if that includes taxes and delivery tho) ... which is about 180% of the cost of the base 5-door hatch.

This would not surprise me.

I hope it does come, but the only way it will be feasible is if they do keep it truly global so they can use economy of scale.