It's just been announced that the Ford Focus RS will join a new line of "vehicles for enthusiasts" that will include the Fiesta ST, Focus ST, Shelby GT350 Mustang, F-150 Raptor, and others that will make up a "Ford Performance" sub-brand of twelve models by 2020.
What were formerly known as Ford SVT, Team RS, and Ford Racing will now be united globally under the Ford Performance umbrella "serving as an innovation laboratory and test bed to create unique performance vehicles, parts, accessories and experiences."
The new performance development outfit will be headquartered at a new tech center in Charlotte, North Carolina and led by Dave Pericak. Pericak began his career at Ford as manufacturing engineer working on door panels, worked up to chief engineer for Mustang, and now holds the title of Director, Global Ford Performance.
Ford says performance vehicle sales are moving on up: citing increases of "70 percent in the United States and 14 percent in Europe since 2009" and they're trying to ride that trend to even more high-dollar vehicle revenue.
"Ford still races for the same reasons Henry Ford did in 1901 – to prove out our products and technologies against the very best in the world," said the company's Global Product VP Raj Nair. "The Ford Performance team will continue to pursue performance innovation, ensuring we can deliver even more coveted performance cars, utilities and trucks to customers around the world."
Image via Ford