FORD has finally answered the prayers of blue-blooded hot-hatch fans in Australia by announcing it will import the cracking Focus RS within months. Officially due on sale Down Under in the fourth quarter of this year following its debut at the Sydney motor show on October 15, just 315 examples of the three door Focus RS will be made available here, priced at just $59,990. That will make it more affordable than its two most direct rivals in the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo sedan (priced from $61,390) and Subaru’s upgraded Impreza STI, which is currently priced from $61,990 as a hatch but will be available in both sedan and hatch – and manual and automatic – forms when a facelifted version is launched here in September. Ford says strictly limited numbers

will make the Focus RS an instant hit in Australia, where fans have waited more than 12 months for news of its local arrival. “Customers, the motoring press, Ford enthusiasts and hot-hatch fans have all been constantly asking us about Focus RS and when it might be coming to Australia, so we’re very pleased and incredibly excited to be able to confi rm for everyone today that it’s on its way,”