The new Ford Focus RS is a step closer to its future owners after the company announced that production has kicked off in Germany.
The first example of the blue oval's hot hatch rolled off the production line in Saarlouis, Germany, and it will soon join its less powerful counterparts, the Focus ST and the Fiesta ST, in the United States, where it will arrive this spring.
We don't know where the first production Focus RS will end up, however, what we can tell you is that all versions carry a 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine at their heart, borrowed from the Mustang, which is good for 350PS (345hp) and 440Nm (324lb-ft) of torque.
The all-new hot hatch needs 4.7 seconds to go from naught to 100km/h (62mph) and it will keep going all the way up to 266km/h (165mph).
The U.S. Ford Performance lineup will grow by three models this year and, besides the Focus RS, the firm will introduce the F-150 Raptor this fall, while the anticipated GT supercar will go into production by the end of 2016.
Ford also reminds us that its current performance car list includes the Shelby GT350 and GT350R too, both introduced the previous year, and it will eventually be expanded, through 2020, by no less than 12 vehicles.