Ford has announced it will return to the World Rally Championship as a full factory works team in 2028. The news comes as Ford of Europe prepares to launch a new generation of rally-inspired road cars, including a fresh Fiesta, Puma, and possibly even a new Focus. With a need to distinguish itself from rivals that don’t have much in the way of heritage, Ford is turning to motorsport in order to drum up some excitement for its new models.
Ford will continue to partner with M-Sport throughout its new rally era, initially fielding a Rally2-based Mk7 Fiesta that’s been modified to meet the new WRC regulations coming into force in 2027. These new rules aim to simplify the technical package and keep a cap on costs.
Ford will run the previous-shape Fiesta through 2028, before launching a brand-new WRC car based on one of its future models in 2029. The manufacturer won’t confirm which of its new vehicles will be converted into a future rally car, but did suggest that the road version’s powertrain wouldn’t have a bearing on what it decides to run.
Jim Baumbick, president of Ford of Europe, told Auto Express: “The thing that has inspired me around a lot of our product portfolio is that the nature of the roads in Europe is so varied and so diverse that we want our customers to feel engagement and desire. I think that's actually exactly at the core of the soul and character of the product that we want to develop. We do have a wide range of propulsion types, so I don't think it has to be specific.”
This would suggest that despite the next-generation Fiesta’s pure BEV powertrain, there’s a good chance that its compact proportions and heritage in rallying could see it as Ford’s future rally star. It would also work most easily with Ford’s interest in creating a new ST or RS Fiesta, which would share a flexible set of underpinnings with other hot hatchbacks such as the Alpine A290.
The new regulations ease this transition, too. From 2027, manufacturer WRC cars don’t need to share their shell or chassis with a road-car alternative, but must only reference a road car that the manufacturer builds.
The same can be said of the technical layout, because while it has to be powered by a purely ICE-powered 1.6-litre turbocharged engine, a WRC car can have any cylinder count and can be mounted anywhere within the chassis. All vehicles will have all-wheel drive and a five-speed gearbox.
To retain at least some connection to its road cars, Ford’s most obvious option will be to retain a front-engined layout for its future rally star. However, the very point of these new regulations could actually see it diverge into other formats – the short-lived RS200 comes to mind as a historical reference point.
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