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Ford Focus ST axed

Friday, August 20, 2010

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The Ford Focus ST has become the latest hot hatch to be axed due to Europe’s tightening emissions standards.

The 2.5-litre turbo five-pot in Ford Focus ST has joined the 2.0-litre unit from Honda’s Civic Type R in falling short of the Euro 5 standard, which becomes a mandatory minimum for new cars next January.

The ST’s four-cylinder successor is likely to make its debut at October’s Paris show.

UK production of the Honda Civic Type R will end in October because Honda has decided to remove it from UK price lists rather than make the necessary engine changes. More than 12,000 Civic Type R units have been sold in the UK since January 2007.

Sales of the Civic Type R will carry on in the UK until December and It will continue to be sold outside of the EU for much of next year, although a new generation has yet to be confirmed.

See Autocar's exclusive rendering of the hot new Focus

Other Euro 5 victims include the 3.2 V6 in the Alfa Brera, the Mazda RX-8 and the VW Group’s 5.0 V10 turbodiesel.