Ford Confirms 2013 Focus ST Price at $23,700, Launches Configurator and New Videos

It took Ford less than 24 hours to announce official pricing for its new 2013 Focus ST hot hatch after last night's leaked spec sheet gave us initial details. We will just remind you that the five-door model starts at $23,700, not including a $795 delivery and handing fee.

The new Focus ST gets a 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost engine SAE-certified at 252 horsepower and 270 lb.-ft. linked to a six-speed manual gearbox that drives the front wheels.

Among the more interesting options available for the Focus ST is the ST2 package priced at $2,385, which adds a Sony audio system with HD radio and a pair of Recaro partial-leather seats, and the ST3 package that costs $4,435 adding HID headlamps, ambient lighting and full-leather Recaro sport seats.

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2013 Ford Focus ST U.S. Pricing Leaked, Starts from $23,700*

We are not sure when Ford is planning to release official pricing for its U.S. market 2013 Focus ST, but a leaked dealer document discovered on the FordSTNation forums by the team over at Jalopnik tells us that the hot hatchback will start at $23,700 when it arrives in dealerships across the States within the next few weeks.

The aforementioned MSRP does not include a destination and handling fee (*), which should be the same as the rest of the Focus lineup at $795, bringing up the price to $24,495.

We also see the cost of some options including the moonroof at $895, the navigation system at $795, the Tangerine Scream Tricoat Paint at $495, and the engine block heater at $35. There are also two equipment packages named 201A ($2,505) and 201A ($4,840), though we don't get any details about their content.

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Ford to Quietly Pace NASCAR's Richmond 400 Race with Focus EV

Following an announcement earlier this month, Ford officially revealed the 2012 Focus EV that will become the first all-electric pace car to field a NASCAR race at this weekend's Richmond 400.

Ford showed the two Focus Electric pace cars at the Richmond International Raceway. Aside from the prominent decals wrapped around the car and the safety lights on the roof, there is nothing else different from the stock electric Focus.

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Ford's Awesomely Cool Parisian Pinball Park Prank

In today's congested cities, people are forced to learn how to park in very tight spaces if they don't want to drive in circles for hours on end, but as you have probably seen time and time again, not all manage to master the art of parking.

To promote the Active Park Assist system found in the new Focus, Ford of Europe set out to find the worst driver when it came to parking in an area of Paris.

The automaker installed a giant pinball over a free parking space flanked by two cars, the ends of which were programmed to react as pinball bumpers every time the driver hit the vehicles. The person with the highest score (i.e. the worst) had the opportunity to try out his or her luck with a Focus equipped with the automatic parking system.

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Ford Focus Electric to Become the First EV to Pace a NASCAR Race

In a new marketing effort to promote its pure-electric Focus, Ford says it will make history this month, as the battery-powered version of its compact hatchback will become the first all-electric pace car to lead the pack at a NASCAR race.

The new Focus Electric, which rolled off the production line in December at the company's Michigan Assembly Plant, will perform all pace care duties for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the Richmond International Raceway on April 28.

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Ford Teams Up with Best Buy Canada to Offer Home Charging Station for EV and Plug-in Hybrid Owners

One of the main problems of owning an electric car or a plug-in hybrid is where and how to recharge its batteries. Ford of Canada promises to offer a simple solution to owners with a home charging station, which will be supplied and installed by Best Buy Canada.

The 240-volt home charging station is suitable for the all-new Focus Electric battery electric vehicle as well as Ford's upcoming plug-in hybrid models in Canada. Best Buy said it will supply the charging station and offer complete consultation and installation services through its Geek Squad and third-party licensed electrical contractors.

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European Ford Focus RS Hot Hatch Appears at Atlanta Car Meet

For a car that was never officially imported in the United States, the European market Ford Focus RS has sure made plenty of appearances on this side of the Atlantic over the past couple of years.

This time, the hot hatch was captured on film revving its 300-horsepower inline-five at the Wild Bills car meet in Atlanta, Georgia, last Thursday. For a quick view of the car and some lip-smacking sounds from the turbocharged five, just follow the break to watch the video.

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Watch a VW Scirocco R Chase a Ford Focus RS on the Nürburgring Track

Here are two of Europe's finest hot hatches (that you won't be able to buy in the States, at least not in their current generation…) racing each other on the Nordschleife.

The VW Scirocco R is the flagship model of the series and is powered by a specially tuned 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that churns out 261hp (265PS) and 350 Nm (258 lb-ft).

Like the Volkswagen model, the Focus RS is front wheel drive but instead of a four-banger, it sports a 2.5-liter force-fed inline-five generating 300hp (305PS) and 440Nm (324.5 lb-ft).

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More than 140,000 2012MY Ford Focus Sedans and Hatchbacks Recalled Over Wiper Problem

In a posting on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) website, Ford said that it is recalling certain Focus cars from the 2012 model year in the States to fix a potential problem with a windshield wiper wiring harness connector.

"Water or other contaminants may accumulate in the connector, resulting in an intermittent or inoperative passenger side wiper motor, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash," Ford said in a statement.

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