Ford ditches Fiesta light car range, but hot ST to live on

LOVE them or hate them, SUVs are now the most popular form of vehicle in Australia’s new-vehicle market, outselling the once-dominant passenger car and the ever-growing light-commercial vehicle.

As such, brands including Nissan and Mitsubishi, who built their empires on models such as the Pulsar and Lancer respectively, have increasingly downplayed those models to the point of discontinuation in Australia.

Unfortunately, Ford has also decided that the light-car segment it competes in with its Fiesta hatchback is now no longer a viable field to play, and will not bring in the new-generation range to local showrooms. Sad face.

Ford’s seventh-generation Fiesta will not make landfall in Australia, with slowing light-car sales cited for its exclusion in local showrooms.

Citing poor sales in the segment and the booming popularity of SUVs, Ford Australia only sold 1550 Fiestas last year, which was a 43.1 per cent drop over the 2722 units the brand managed in 2016.

In fact, last year, pricier and arguably more niche models such as the Mustang, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Porsche Macan managed to outsell Ford’s light hatchback with 9165, 1896 and 2478 sales respectively.

The Fiesta finished in the 10th place in the light-car segment that shrunk its market share by 11.3 per cent overall, well behind the leading Hyundai Accent (17,578), Mazda2 (12,101), Toyota Yaris (11,226) and Honda Jazz (7301).

Despite a shift in production from Thailand to Germany, Ford Australia says the change in sourcing had no effect on its decision to deny the new Fiesta entry Down Under.

Although the switch in production from Thailand to Germany was also rumoured to have an impact on the business case of the seventh-generation Fiesta, Ford Australia has indicated that this did not play a role in its decision.

Ford Australia also did not rule out the possibility of reviving the regular Fiesta range in Australia down the line if market factors shift in its favour.

In better news for petrolheads though, Ford has confirmed it will bring its new-generation, range-topping Fiesta ST hot hatch to bolster its Ford Performance line-up.

Fiesta fans may miss out, but hot hatch fans will still be satiated by the news that the new light hatch ST will be sold in Australia.

Powered by a turbocharged 1.5-litre EcoBoost three-cylinder petrol engine, the new Fiesta ST makes do with 149kW of power and 290Nm of torque.

Drive is sent to the front axle via six-speed manual gearbox that enables a zero to 100km/h sprint in 6.7 seconds, which will match rivals in the light hot hatch segment including the Volkswagen Polo GTI and Renault Clio RS.

Three driving modes are on offer too for those who don’t want to flat foot it around town, enabling Normal, Sport and Track settings that tweak throttle, exhaust, steering and stability parameters.

With a 149kW/290Nm 1.5-litre three-pot engine in tow, the new Ford Fiesta ST promises to follow in its predecessors footsteps and be a pocket-rocket weapon.

A unique bodykit easily distinguishes the ST from its siblings (not that we will see the hot hatch next to the regular Fiesta on Australian roads anyway), while it also rides on 18-inch wheels and features sports seats and a flat-bottomed steering wheel.

A floating 8.0-inch Sync3 touchscreen is installed front and centre in the cabin, which includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility for the smartphone-loving millennials.

The new Fiesta ST will also be equipped with a torque vectoring system to keep it tidy around the corners, and returns a fuel consumption figure of 4.8 litres per 100km thanks to a cylinder-deactivation system.

Take note, this Ford Fiesta ST will become a cult classic thanks to its playful chassis, punchy 1.6-litre engine and slick-shifting six-speed manual.

In comparison to its predecessor, the new Fiesta ST makes 15kW more power and 50Nm more torque than the previous 1.6-litre four-cylinder-powered flagship Ford light car.

However, the older Fiesta ST featured an overboost function to raise outputs to match its three-pot progeny – albeit just for 20 second periods.

Sold here for $25,990 before on-roads at launch, the Fiesta ST moved up to $27,490 in 2016 with the inclusion of a Sync3 infotainment system and reversing camera as standard.

Ford’s first attempt at a performance Fiesta turned out to be the RS Turbo that was built on the third-generation model and made a peppy 98kW/183Nm.

The Ford Fiesta nameplate however, originated back in 1976 under the guide of Henry Ford II himself to sit under the cult-classic Escort.

In production for seven years until 1983 when the second-generation was introduced, Fiesta didn’t gain a performance version until the third-generation-based 98kW/183Nm 1.6-litre RS Turbo.

In fourth-gen form, the Fiesta shared the same assembly line as the Mazda 121 of the time, but it wouldn’t be until the next iteration that a performance variant would return to the Ford light car.

Dubbed XR4 in Australia and ST in other markets, this sporty Fiesta was propelled by a lively 2.0-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine.

Powered by a 2.0-litre atmo four pot, the first-ever Fiesta ST – or XR4 as it was known in Australia to keep it in line with other performance Fords such as the XR6 and XR8 Falcons – developed 110kW/190Nm.

Chuckable characteristics and playful dynamics ensured the Fiesta XR4 was a hit amongst enthusiasts, while its sports body kit and bucket seats differentiated it from the standard Fiesta fare.

While a shame that the loveable Fiesta has been given the chop in Australia, at least we can counsel ourselves with a brand-spanking new ST hatchback that promises to deliver all the charm and sporty dynamics as its predecessors.

Protect your Ford. Call Shannons Insurance on 13 46 46 to get a quote today.