Skip advert
Advertisement

Ford planning to make more use of RS brand

Ford is planning to create more RS-branded products to sit alongside flagship Ford Focus RS

Ford RS

Steve Odell, Ford’s Executive Vice President of global marketing, sales and service has said that Ford is planning to make more use of the RS brand, following the launch of the flagship Focus RS hot hatch.

“The RS brand is really valuable,” he told Auto Express. “People race it. People collect it. I believe there is room to expand.”

Advertisement - Article continues below

While we know that there are no plans for more RS cars in the short term, we can expect to see the RS brand being used to promote, for example, performance upgrades for existing models. 

Speaking on the eve of Ford’s home motor show in Detroit, Odell refused to elaborate on exactly which models would benefit from the RS moniker – but hinted we could see production models in the long term. 

Ford RS: a history of fast Fords

Odell clearly values Ford’s newly introduced performance car range, and appeared hugely enthusiastic about future fast Fords.

“People are now talking about Mustang as an image leader,” he said. “GT helps us prove our tech, too, and will flow back to our production cars.”

Detroit Motor Show: latest news

He refused to suggest RS would ever feature as a standalone brand, though. “Ford is the brand,” he told us. “When we went out and said ‘Transit is a brand, Focus is a brand,’ – we did ourselves a disservice. Ford is the brand.”

Do you think Ford should build further RS models? Or stick with the bonkers Focus RS? Let us know in the comments below…

Skip advert
Advertisement
Deputy editor

Richard has been part of the team for over a decade. During this time he has covered a huge amount of news and reviews for Auto Express, as well as being the face of Carbuyer and DrivingElectric on Youtube. In his current role as deputy editor, he is now responsible for keeping our content flowing and managing our team of talented writers.

Find a car with the experts

Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

New baby Nissan Juke EV on the way to challenge the Dacia Spring
Baby Nissan Juke exclusive image - rear

New baby Nissan Juke EV on the way to challenge the Dacia Spring

Nissan to fast-track development of new battery-powered city car to take on forthcoming Volkswagen ID.1, and our exclusive images preview how it could…
News
18 Apr 2025
Best SUVs to buy 2025
Best SUVs - header image

Best SUVs to buy 2025

There are plenty of great SUVs to choose from, so we’ve picked out the very best
Best cars & vans
17 Apr 2025
Future of Nissan in the UK: new Gigafactory to power bold EV plans
Future of Nissan in the UK - header with Phil McNamara

Future of Nissan in the UK: new Gigafactory to power bold EV plans

Nissan is about to go from building the Qashqai hybrid to three fresh EVs in the UK over the next three years – all powered by a new gigafactory
Features
19 Apr 2025