Ahead of its arrival in Ireland next September, the exciting new Ford Focus ST was put through its paces this week at a special launch drive event in Nice, France.

The car builds on Ford's long heritage of performance models and carries the DNA of the company's renowned previous ST and RS cars.  This latest Focus ST is Ford's first truly global performance car and has been jointly developed by Ford's RS team in Europe and the Special Vehicles Team (SVT) in the US.  The car goes on sale in 40 countries across the globe this year.

Ensuring the high level of driving dynamics that enthusiasts have come to expect from a Ford performance model, the new Focus ST is powered by a specially developed direct-injection 2.0 litre, all alloy, turbocharged, four-cylinder EcoBoost engine with a 250PS output.  And yet, the car remains capable of returning a fuel efficiency performance of 7.2L/100Km and CO2 emissions of 169g/km - 20 percent better than its predecessor.

"Be it for the enthusiast or the novice, the new Focus ST possesses all the great, fun-to-drive qualities that customers want," said Eddie Murphy, Chairman and Managing Director of Ford Ireland. "Thanks to its exhilarating performance, road-gripping dynamics and superior levels of refinement, the Focus ST is a performance car that is ideal for everyday driving."

Standard specification in the new Focus ST includes Ford Power keyless start, sporty Recaro seats, Bluetooth and 18" alloy wheels. The debut of the car in Ireland will coincide with the Focus ST's starring role in the new all-action movie adaptation of the classic 70's British police series, The Sweeney, with actors Ray Winstone and "Plan B" Ben Drew playing Regan and Carter.

The car goes on sale in Ireland priced from 35,170 - full spec and price details for the Irish market will be issued closer to launch date.