Ford performance boss hints at RS versions of SUVS and Fiesta

Ford’s global director of performance has revealed the brand is seriously considering making hot RS versions of its SUVS. In the clearest possible hint yet that the Blue Oval is planning performance versions of its 4x4s, performance chief Dave Pericak said he feels there’s definitely “an opportunity” to be explored. Asked if an RS badge could ever work on a Ford SUV, he said: “If you did what you needed to do to make it perform the way that an RS should, the answer would be sure. “I think customers love performance. I think the definition of what that means for an SUV might be different than what it means for a Focus or for a Fiesta. “But I think that we’ve seen, even in the US, and globally, that people like aggressive-looking cars, they like sporty, they want the power and pick-up and engine improvement, so I think the answer is yes. SUV customers would appreciate performance, for sure.” Most likely to get the RS treatment would be the Kuga, its underpinnings especially capable of a performance upgrade. The Edge and Ecosport models could follow suit. Pericak explained that extending the RS brand even further across the Ford range was not an impossibility and that even models like the Fiesta could once again wear the fabled badge. “What RS stands for could be applied to other products, for sure,” he said. “I think that RS can be applied to many different products, it just has to meet certain criteria.” When asked if the new Fiesta ST was as hot as it was going to get, Periack explained that it was “as hot as it gets to date”, strongly suggesting a more powerful version is being considered.