The invasion of Ukraine has had a marked impact on European supply chains, and the updated Ford Focus ST is among the vehicles affected.
The refreshed hot hatch was supposed to lob in the second quarter of 2022 with a new 13.2-inch touchscreen running Ford’s Sync4 infotainment system, but the invasion has thrown a spanner in the works.
“As a result of the conflict in Ukraine, one of our key suppliers of parts for the 13.2-inch SYNC4 screen in Focus is unable to meet demand,” said a spokesperson for Ford Australia.
“Supply of these parts is being moved to a new location in Europe, but this will take time to implement.
“We are seeking information on whether this will affect Australian-delivered Focus ST models, and will work with our dealers to liaise with any affected customers once we have that information.”
Ford told Autocar that, in Europe at least, the German-built Focus will revert to an 8.0-inch screen like the pre-update model.
The new 13.2-inch touchscreen, in addition to being considerably larger, includes integrated climate controls, as well as wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
The invasion of Ukraine is the latest interruption to automakers’ supply chains, with companies already in the midst of a semiconductor chip shortage and COVID-19 having been an albatross around the industry’s neck.
As supply issues force automakers to remove certain popular options, these companies have been taking different approaches to help soften the blow for consumers.
The likes of BMW and Skoda, for example, have been giving customers credits in Australia in some cases where certain features haven’t been available.
Volkswagen has reduced the price of its Golf R and Tiguan R as chip shortages have forced it to offer their Harman Kardon sound system as an option instead of standard equipment.
2020 Focus ST
2022 Focus ST
Should Ford Australia’s allocation of the Focus ST be affected by the component shortage, it’s unclear whether the company will follow suit and offer a credit.
Earlier this year, Ford Australia confirmed some variants of the outgoing Ranger line are losing their automatic stop/start system, but there was no price adjustment.
Ford’s updated Focus range will consist solely of hot ST and ST X hatchback variants, with Ford having progressively culled the rest of the Focus range since the launch of the fourth-generation model in 2019.
For 2022, there are redesigned bumpers, a larger grille and restyled headlights.
This update also brings a price rise of $2600 to the ST models, with the range now opening at $47,490 before on-road costs for both the manual and automatic variants.
Somewhat justifying this price rise is the re-introduction of blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, heated front seats and 10-speaker Bang and Olufsen sound system which were removed for the 2021 model year Focus ST.
There’s a new ST X trim at the top-of-the-range which bears some similarities to the limited-edition ST-3 and is designed to be a more premium option with dynamic pixel LED headlights, and panoramic sunroof, among other upgrades.
This model is only available in automatic form and is priced at $51,990 before on-road costs.
It also ditches the Recaro seats from the previous Focus ST and replaces them with a set of Ford Performance front seats with 14-way power adjustment for both driver and front passenger.
Keyword: 2022 Ford Focus ST could lose big touchscreen due to Ukraine