Ford has taken double the expected number of orders in Europe for the new Fiesta ST in its first six months on sale in Europe, with almost one in three coming from the UK.
More than 3000 Fiesta ST orders have been placed in the UK since it went on sale at the end of March - well ahead of the projected target of 5000 a year. As a result, production of the Fiesta ST is to be increased by 15 percent to 60 a day to keep up with demand.
The two colours unique to the ST - pearlescent orange and metallic blue - come up on 45 percent of all ST orders - and more than half of buyers so far have opted for the higher-specification ST2 model.
Which tells us Fiesta ST drivers want it all and they want everybody to see they've got it all.
Ford of Europe marketing vice-president Roelant de Waard said: "The reaction to the Fiesta ST has been extraordinary - it's become an instant classic."
The Fiesta ST has a 132kW, 1.6-litre EcoBoost petrol engine that'll launch it to 100km/h from a standing start in 6.9 seconds and tops out at 225km/h. It will be released in South Africa in the second quarter of 2014.
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