Auto News 5

All three major U.S. automakers have significant new products, even Chrysler. But the new Jeep Grand Cherokee, handsome though it is, and the redesigned Ford Explorer -- the most thoroughly revamped in its history -- will not recapture their glory days. The center of gravity has shifted in the direction of new entries like the Ford Fiesta and the redesigned Focus, the European-built Buick Regal, the Chevy Cruze, and (although you're sick of hearing about it) the Chevy Volt.

By bringing the 2012 Focus ST to the United States, Ford hopes to erase memories of the last Focus to wear the ST moniker: a plebeian ZX4 sedan with minor chassis modifications and a spoiler. The reintroduction of a high-performance Focus in the United States is Ford’s response to hosannas from devotees of the long-departed Focus SVT. Earlier this year, Ford displayed the range of Focus models at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, a marked improvement in styling and a jump in size over the outgoing Focus. The new ST is the first development from Ford’s Performance Vehicles department, headed by Jost Capito, the man responsible for tuning the first-generation Focus RS. Whereas the Focus SVT was available as either a three- or five-door hatchback, the 2012 Focus ST will be a five-door hatchback only.