Focus RS coming to America?

Image by jonanamary via Flickr With Ford making moves to bring several of it's European models stateside, there is new found hope that we'll see the new Focus RS on domestic soil. Despite all of the hoopla over ever rising gas prices, there is still an overwhelming majority of Americans that don't want to compromise performance.

There's no denying the appeal of high performance coupled with reasonable fuel economy. Most enthusiasts want a little extra spice in their daily commute. Americans are power hungry by nature. Europeans have the same desire for performance that we do, except their gas is much more expensive than ours and their cities provide narrow roads and an underwhelming amount of parking spaces.

Enter the Focus RS, which debuted at the London Motor Show. Sporting a screaming 2.5L Duratec turbo four under the hood, the rally esque ride has drawn a tremendous response in the UK, with 1000 already ordered.

Ford of Europe has reported that it has been inundated with orders, with almost 40% of buyers wanting the car in Electric Green, the color of the show car.

Representing a return of the famed Rallye Sport badge last seen in 2002, the RS puts out 295 hp and 302 lb-ft of torque and includes extras such as a Quaife Automatic Torque Biasing limited-slip differential and a front suspension system called a "RevoKnuckle" designed to reduce torque steer. Despite lacking the all-wheel drive setup some competitors boast, the Focus RS manages an estimated 0 to 62 mph time of under 6 sec.

One can only imagine what a blast this car would be on a winding road, but naturally Ford is being cautious with the idea of bringing it stateside. But when Ford of Britain's chairman and managing director Roelant de Waard says the company is "delighted by the reaction of performance car enthusiasts to the new Focus RS and that so many want to place orders even though it will not be available until early next year," hopefully the staff in Michigan will take notice and let American drivers in on the fun, too.

2010 Mustang Interior Pictures

Here's the clearest view yet of the 2010 Mustang's interior, courtesy of the folks at KGP Photography. What you see here is an extensively reworked cabin with many all new components combined with some existing pieces.

The center stack distinctly shows tightly packed multimedia and climate-control units surrounded by what appears to be aluminum trimming. Two new rectangular center vents sit directly above the center console. On either side of the center stack are revised oval air vents as well.

Positioned in front of the driver are updated white-faced gauges complete with classic elongated musclecar font. Set in front of the tachometer and speedometer is a beefier three-spoke steering wheel featuring rearranged multimedia functions. The cruise control is now on the left side while the controls for the Sync entertainment system are on the right.

All in all, it appears that the interior of the new 'stang will be more refined and upscale than previous models. Perhaps a twist on Ford's move to more European models?

Teaser pics of the 2010 Mustang - no camo!

To date, all we've seen have been heavily camouflaged pictures of the '10 Mustang with barely discernable styling cues. But those folks are the internet are a savvy bunch, and more revealing pics are surfacing by the day.

Whether this is all a big game by Ford (likely), it's still generating a lot of interest in the face of stiffer competition from Chevy's Camaro and the Dodge Challenger.

So we swoon over every update that Ford trickles our way, not too concerned that the automaker seems to be playing with our emotions.

The good news is, these newest pictures reveal some enticing styling updates. The new wheel design is a knockout from a car known to sport some pretty wheels. The overall changes are pretty subtle, but effective nonetheless.

For the record, Ford will be releasing a new teaser pic every week until the car is officially unveiled on November 19th at the Los Angeles Auto Show.