Another Great Hot Hatch Has Just Been Killed

It’s time to pour one out for another popular hot hatch that has been officially axed. First, it was the Renault Megane RS, and now, the final Ford Focus ST has rolled off the production line. This means the Blue Oval’s entire range of hot hatches is also dead, following the earlier axing of the smaller Fiesta ST.

Images of the final Focus ST built at the carmaker’s Saarlouis plant in Germany were recently shared on Facebook. The red car left the factory on September 26 and doesn’t appear to have received any custom touches to make it stand out from any other ST out there. There’s also no word on what market it’s heading to.

Read: Ford Could Be Preparing To Fill A Focus-Sized Hole In Their Lineup

The sporty version of the Focus has been sold across four generations since it was first introduced in 2002 as the ST170 in Europe. It was preceded by the Focus SVT that was sold exclusively in North America. The current Focus ST has been on sale since mid-2019 and rocks a 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder petrol engine with 276 hp that’s coupled as standard to a six-speed manual transmission. Ford implemented a minor facelift for the 2022 model year in order for its hot hatch to keep up with rivals.

While the Focus ST doesn’t have the power to rival the previous-gen Focus RS, nor does it rock the same trick all-wheel drive system, it has served as a solid rival to cars like the VW Golf GTI, Renault Megane RS, and Hyundai i30 N.

The end of ST production isn’t the only bad news for Focus enthusiasts. Production of the entire range will end in November, leaving Ford without a single traditional passenger car on sale in Europe that isn’t an SUV. That means its lineup in the Old Continent will consist entirely of SUVs. Petrolheads may be disappointed, but if that’s what the market wants, then the makers are practically forced to bend to its wishes.