Ford cuts hot hatch lineup

Ford’s Fiesta ST will no longer be offered in New Zealand while Ford Australia announced last week that it will cut both the Fiesta and Focus ST models from its line up. Currently it looks like the Focus ST will live on a little longer in NZ however. 

“The Fiesta ST has been a segment-defining hot hatch for New Zealand and has put smiles on the faces of enthusiasts across the country, and we want to thank those fans for their passion,” said Simon Rutherford, Managing Director, Ford New Zealand.

“But with semi-conductor-related supply shortages and our focus on emerging areas of growth, we’ve made the difficult decision to call time on the iconic hot hatch. We look forward to sharing more about the next era of our performance vehicle line-up soon,” said Rutherford.

Ford Fiesta ST owners will continue to be supported by Ford New Zealand with access to spare parts and maintenance.

The company is focusing on areas of growing customer demand like the SUV, commercial and electrification segments meaning performance models are slowly being pruned from its lineup.

Seven electrified Ford vehicles will be available in New Zealand by the end of 2024, including the new Ford Mustang Mach-E.