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When the two-door, Ford Fiesta ST hatchback concept car was unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show there was little doubt that it would make it into production.  Last March, Ford Motor Company made it official by unveiling a production-spec version of the 2013 model at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.

The Fiesta ST features an EcoBoost turbocharged 1.6-liter inline four-cylinder engine that delivers 178 horsepower and 177 pound-fee t of torque. The front wheel drive Fiesta ST also features a six-speed manual transmission and can go from 0-62 mph in under seven seconds. The ST has a top speed of 136 mph.

To handle the increased power, the Fiesta ST is fitted with lower suspension tuning, a three-mode stability control, and Torque Vectoring Control system.

In addition to the mechanical upgrades, the ST also features a new body kit that includes a roof spoiler, side skirts, dual exhaust tips and lower front and rear fascias. Recaro seating compliments the body work. In keeping with the sportier styling, Ford has given the ST metal foot pedals. As is becoming the norm for Ford vehicles, the ST is equipped with the automaker’s popular Sync voice recognition technology. The ST will also feature Ford’s MyKey technology – an innovative safety feature which acts as a performance governor when less experienced motorists are behind the wheel.

In an interview with MotorTrend last March, Ford’s director of Global Performance Vehicles Jost Capito said motorists “will be blown away by the new Fiesta ST.” And an engineer with Ford’s Special Vehicle Team said the ST was “designed to reward excellent drivers, and flatter novices.” Ford road tested the ST on Germany’s famed Nurburgring test track.

The Fiesta ST is not currently available in the U.S., but the four-door concept model received an enthusiastic response when it was shown at the Los Angeles motor show last fall. Ford has said it is open to the idea of marketing the four-door Fiesta ST in the U.S. but has no immediate plans to do so.  The two-door model is scheduled to launch in Europe and Australia next year. The base sticker price is expected to be around $25,000.

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Ferrari plans to launch a successor to its limited-edition Enzo later this year. The new model will be a gas-electric hybrid supercar which it says will be more powerful and more fuel efficient.

The new hybrid is scheduled to go on sale in limited numbers in the U.S. next year. Ferrari has dubbed the new model the F70. The automaker has not yet announced pricing for the new sports hybrid, but it industry insiders expect the price to be at least as high as the Enzo’s $850,000 price tag.

The Enzo (named after Ferrari’s founder) was produced between 2002 and 2004. A mere 400 units were made.

The F70 will incorporate the same Hy-Kers hybrid technology used in Formula One racing and will feature two electric motors and a 12-cylinder gasoline engine. The combination will reportedly reduce fuel consumption by about 40 percent.

Passione Rossa Ferrari owner’s club chairman Fabio Barone is enthusiastic about the new F70. “Boosted by the electric motors, the new supercar may have more than 900 horsepower,” he said. “It’s going to be a sensational car, and it also lowers emissions.”

In the Hy-Kers system, an electric motor delivers an extra 100 horsepower “instantaneously” between the 12-cylinder gasoline engine and the electric motors through one of the vehicle’s two clutches.

Ferrari is not the only high performance sports car maker going green. Porsche already sells hybrid variants of its popular Cayenne SUV and Panamera four-door coupe, and plans to begin selling a hybrid version of its 918 Spyder next year.  The hybrid Spyder will feature a 500 horsepower gasoline engine teamed with 218 horsepower electric motors to deliver a top speed of 199 mph.

BMW also has a hybrid supercar in the works. Its i8 plug-in hybrid is scheduled to launch in 2014. And Volkswagen AG’s Bentley division is reportedly considering producing a plug-in hybrid SUV.

According to IHS Automotive, demand for hybrid supercars like the F70 is expected to increase from less than 100 in 2012, to upwards of 2,100 by 2015.

Ferrari is Fiat S.p.A.’s most profitable brand and reported a 13 percent increase in operating profits, to 60 million euros, during the first quarter.  The company limits annual production to approximately 7,000 vehicles and offers “tailor made” customization which allows it to increase prices between 20 percent and 60 percent per auto.

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