--- title: "The Very Last Ford Focus ST Has Rolled off the Assembly Line" date: "2025-09-29" modified: "2025-09-29" authors: - name: "Adam Ismail" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/adam-ismail" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/the-very-last-ford-focus-st-has-rolled-off-the-assembly-line" categories: - "Ford News" - "News" - "News by Brand" tags: - "compact" - "focus" - "focus st" - "Ford" - "Hatchback" - "sports car" --- # The Very Last Ford Focus ST Has Rolled off the Assembly Line ![Blue Ford Focus ST]() *\Ford\* The death of [Ford]()'s passenger cars in North America was swift. After the company announced [the end of the Fiesta and Focus]() in 2018, the Fiesta soldiered on here in the States for one more model year, while the Focus ceased production for our market almost immediately. Overseas, both nameplates received another generation, and based on Europe's historical love of the small car, you might've thought they'd last forever. But the final Focus ST reportedly rolled off the production line in Germany last week, marking the close of an enduringly great series of hot hatches. You may remember our last Focus ST as a riot, [and it was](), but the fourth-gen car we missed out on was something else. It developed even more power—276 horsepower, to be precise, matching the Elantra N and many a great Japanese sports car. Ford tossed in an electronic limited-slip diff, further refined its fancy steering knuckle geometry that made prior iterations so intensely agile, and gifted the turbo with anti-lag. The six-speed manual stuck around, though buyers could also opt for a seven-speed auto. And it plainly looked nicer than North America's final ST hatches, with their gaping fish mouths. The last example of the Focus ST was finished on September 26, per a photo taken at Ford's Saarlouis plant, [posted to Reddit](), and shared by *[Ford Authority]()*. That plant is due to end all production in November, though a skeleton crew of 1,000 workers—3,500 fewer than the factory employed until now—will supposedly remain on, doing ... *something* ... until Ford manages to find a buyer for the site. https://www.reddit.com/r/Ford/comments/1nroudo/last_focus_st/ It feels like an unfortunately undignified end to a site and a car that meant so much to Ford and enthusiasts over the last 20 years. And it's even more infuriating considering a [recent report]() that the automaker is considering bringing the Fiesta and Focus back as EVs, possibly built on Volkswagen architecture like Europe's Explorer. The dirt's still warm from these cars being laid to rest, supposedly because they're such poor sellers compared to SUVs, and yet Ford's already mulling a higher-priced revival to trade on the goodwill their names still carry. If you've ever appreciated or owned some of these vehicles—I had a Focus hatch in 2012 and a Fiesta ST in 2017—it just makes your blood boil. Alas, here we are, and if there's any comfort we can take, it's knowing that this red ST is going to put plenty of smiles on somebody's face for a long time. - ![Blue Ford Focus ST]() - ![Blue Ford Focus ST]() - ![Ford Focus ST interior]() - ![Blue Ford Focus ST]() [][][] *Got any fond memories of Ford hot hatches? Hit us up at tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Adam is a Senior Editor at The Drive, concentrating on curating and developing the site's slate of daily journalism, from initial pitch to final copy edit. When he's not at his desk researching leads and working with writers, he's testing vehicles or reviewing racing games, new and old. He joined The Drive in 2023, following seven years of covering consumer technology and cars. A car lover and gamer since his earliest memories, Adam came to know the automotive world through video games. First it was Daytona USA, Sega Rally, and Ridge Racer; then came Need For Speed, which inspired an encyclopedic knowledge of '90s supercars, and, of course, Gran Turismo. If not for them, he'd assuredly be doing something else right now. Adam is based in the suburbs outside Philly, where there are ample roads for his hot hatch to stretch its legs. In his car, he's probably listening to indie rock, drum and bass, or Yankees baseball. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()