Ford Fiesta ST

• 0-62mph less than 7 seconds
• Rally car styling
• Stiffened suspension

This is the Ford Fiesta ST concept car, which was revealed at the Frankfurt motor show today.

The concept car gives a glimpse at how a Fiesta ST production model would look and also gives a good idea of how the facelifted Fiesta will look when it is launched in mid-2012.

Power for the Fiesta ST comes from a 1.6-litre Ford Ecoboost petrol engine and can blast the car from 0-62mph in less than 7.0 seconds and on to a top speed of 137mph.

The Fiesta ST concept features a large trapezoidal grille, which echoes that of both the new Focus ST and the Evos concept car on display at Frankfurt. There are narrower headlights, too, which are likely to be a feature of the updated Fiesta range.

The ST has sporty details that mark it out as a hot hatch model, including a honeycomb mesh grille, a rear diffuser and twin-exit exhaust tailpipes. A lowered stance and widened wheelarches housing 17-inch alloys and a full ST bodykit mirror that of the Ford Fiesta WRC rally car. The suspension has been uprated too, with stiffer springs for sportier handling.

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Jost Capito, Ford's director of global performance vehicles said: 'The Fiesta ST Concept shows in the most dramatic way possible that the qualities that define an ST are not limited to one model. The potential for delivering the ST experience to an even wider audience are laid bare by this striking new concept.'

Ford is still talking in 'ifs' and 'whens', but fans shouldn't expect to wait too long for the concept to be made real. Dealers in 40 countries around the world are gearing up to take delivery of the Focus ST.

Ford plans to have 25 new to range models in production by 2014, and with the Focus ST and Fiesta ST concept, it has laid its strategy firmly on the table.