I hope people reward Ford for selling the RS by actually purchasing it! There was all sort of excitement when the Chevrolet SS was announced, but its sales numbers are embarrassing.
It's also stupid expensive. Why buy the Chevrolet SS (which looks pretty bland, IMHO) when you can have a Chrysler 300 or Dodge Charger?
...and why buy a Focus RS when you can get a Mustang 2.3T
?
This is the issue with bringing products over as niche. There's no reason why these Focus variants can't all be higher-volume sellers, save for pricing, which is done solely for higher-positioning.
Any idea how many prospective Focus buyers just want a Focus with AWD? Hint: take 80% of Impreza sales and that's how many folks would be opened up to the Focus with AWD. I don't know any subaru owner that says "I bought this because I love the car." I hear, "I love how this thing drives in the winter."
I'm not saying that the RS should necessarily be cheaper (though I would prefer it
), but the massive draw for most consumers (i.e. higher sales) would be a Focus hatchback with AWD. Bring that and you'll see massive influx to the Focus line, and once folks come in looking at the Focus AWD, they'll consider spending a few more grand to have a faster motor, etc.
