In Australia the first generation (LR Focus ST170/RS ) and second generation (LS, LT, LV XR5, RS)  never really took off in terms of performance aftermarket like they did in Europe. That all changed however with the introduction of the third generation featuring the 2.0 litre ecoboost in the LW and LZ focus ST and then the 2.3litre ecoboost in the LZ Focus RS models. These models came out with much more aggressive styling, and much greater performance than ever before, with the Focus RS the choice of car used in Gymkhana 9, it was sure to be a big hit in the performance hatch world. This generation of focus models enticed automotive enthusiasts from all other genres and plenty of people moving into them from JDM cars, or from AUSDM sedans etc, and also from the emerging KDM genres also.

They were a giant leap ahead of the second generation in terms of performance, however they did lack a little in reliability which caused a little distrust amongst potential adopters of the platform. As time has gone on, and ford slowly improved manufacturing and quality control the product slowly got better and better, things were looking up until the Focus RS was cut from Ford Australia’s lineup after only being on sale for around 2 years in 2017, it caused a big hole in the market for the mega hot hatches. With the focus ST still on sale and now in the Fourth generation, it features a slightly revised 2.3 litre ecoboost engine from the outgoing RS model, however is limited to FWD only, available in both 7 Speed automatic (conventional auto not dual clutch) and 6 speed manual. However these models do not have the cult following like the third generation ST and RS models.