Ford Focus RS to go hybrid
Hybrid vehicles are the way of the future it would seem and while the Toyota Prius is hardly an excitement machine, hybrid tech will shortly be in many performance cars. The latest vehicle to be apparently receiving electric power is the next-generation Ford Focus RS. It’s another sign of things to come, that one of Europe’s hotest hatches may come with a hybrid drive set-up similar to that of the Peugeot Hybrid 4.
Recent reports state that senior sources at Ford say that the automaker is in the early stages of developing a hybrid set up that would mate a 2.0 litre EcoBoost unit with an electric motor on the rear axle, turning the Focus RS into an all-wheel drive sport hatch.
The 2.0 litre turbo EcoBoost engine would spit out around 250 bhp for an ST variant (XR5 Turbo), while the RS version would feature the same amount of power for the engine, while the addition of the electric motor would provide for a significant amount of extra power and torque. Total output would probably top out at around 300 bhp, similar to the current RS variant.
Naturally the new set up would offer far better fuel-economy than the current Volvo-supplied 2.5 litre, 5-cylinder turbo seen in the current RS now, which Ford may no longer have access to since it sold Volvo Cars earlier this year.
Ford will likely provide more details on the next Focus RS when it debuts the Focus ST at the Paris auto show later this year.
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