We’ve known for some time that production of the Ford Focus is set to end at the Saarlouis Assembly plant in Germany this year, even though FoMoCo is still having a hard time finding a buyer for that facility. Regardless, Ford will continue to operate the Saarlouis plant for years to come following an agreement with the German union IG Metall, though it will also lay off most of the workforce there as well. Now, with production of the long-running model set to end in November, order books for the performance-oriented Ford Focus ST in the UK have officially closed.
According to Autocar, the Ford Focus ST disappeared from dealer price lists in the UK following an update earlier this week, though it remains present on the automaker’s online configurator. That leaves customers interested in a new Focus with a few choices, for now – the Active X Edition, ST-Line, and ST-Line X Edition trims, all powered by the turbocharged 1.0L I-3 EcoBoost engine.
“There are no new factory orders available for the Focus ST at the moment, but there are around 170 built and unsold currently available within the UK dealer network,” Ford confirmed. “This includes 30 of the special ST Edition variant in Azura Blue.” The automaker did add that Ford Focus ST order banks could reopen at some point before production ends in November, leaving open the possibility that the automaker could do so if demand warrants it, or if it intends to build some sort of special final edition model.
When Ford Focus production ends later this year, around 1,000 of the 4,500 workers at Saarlouis will remain on board to “provide services for other Ford locations,” according to the automaker. Even as the European Union is considering softening its zero-emissions mandate and Ford Europe recently pushed back its own EV transition plans, Ford Focus production won’t be extended, though the Saarlouis plant will remain in operation at least through 2032, per FoMoCo’s agreement with IG Metall.
Comment
Too bad the Focus ST isn’t being sold in the US. These are hot commodities on the used market as reflected on BAT and Cars and Bids selling prices. Ford loses out again in the sedan market.