Ford Focus RS demand skyrockets

Prospective Ford Focus RS buyers could face up to an 18-month wait due to high demand and limited supply of the new Blue Oval hot hatch.

Ford Australia is currently unable to give a precise wait time due to not knowing exactly how many orders are with dealers, but early indications are Australia's initial allocation has been sold multiple times over.

Speaking at a Ford event today, CEO Graeme Whickman said: "We are sold out this year, we're probably close to being sold out the following year the way things are travelling, so the best answer I can give you is: none available right now."

Asked whether this level of demand was a surprise, Whickman told MOTOR: "I wouldn't say surprised by demand. The car is well-known, people have been salivating over it for a period of time, but at the end of the day there are only so many RSs being built."

The Focus RS is built in Ford's Saarlouis plant in Germany on the same line as the regular Focus and only so many build spots have been allocated to RS production.

Australia did manage to secure an extra allocation of Mustangs earlier in 2016 in response to huge demand, however Whickman said there's no guarantee the same will be possible with RS.

"Like the Mustang we have continual discussions with our global team in Detriot about what we're seeing as the demand in the market and what our projections might be. We're continually updating that every month and continue to have the dialogue about what we think is the right number.

The Focus RS launches locally in mid-July and we'll bring you a full local review at that time.