Versatile Fiesta takes centre stage

Ford says its Fiesta hatchback 'lends itself to different themes'. Photo / Supplied

Ford is continuing its United States marketing offensive for the new Fiesta hatchback with a line-up of go-fast examples for next month's Sema tuning show in Las Vegas.

Taking centre stage will be a Fiesta customised by Ford Racing Performance Parts. The carmaker has taken the 2-litre EcoBoost engine and enlarged its capacity to 2.3-litres, giving 255kW.

The rest of the Fiesta is equipped with parts from the official Ford Racing Performance Parts catalogue, including a short-throw gearshift, 17-inch alloys, Brembo brakes and Ohlins dampers.

Ford speciality design manager Melvin Betancourt says: "The Fiesta is one of those vehicles that resonates with everybody - especially with the younger market.

"Whatever you're into, it works. It lends itself to a lot of different themes. It's a perfect fit for the aftermarket and for customers who want to express their personality."

The car will arrive at the Sema show in Ford's trademark blue, but will be painted at the show by a "renowned artist" and then auctioned for charity. Audi will show a one-off version of its R8 at Sema, engineered by US performance house STaSIS.

Based on the already-potent R8 Spyder V10, STaSIS has added a supercharger and sports exhaust to the engine, upping power from 386kW and 530Nm to 522kW and 709Nm.

This chops a whole second from the zero to 100km/h time, with the tuned car completing the sprint in just 3.1sec.

To complement the engine upgrades, STaSIS has also added bespoke Ohlins dampers, lowered the suspension by 20mm, added enlarged Alcon brakes and lightweight 20-inch wheels.

Also on display on Audi's stand will be its autonomous TTS Pikes Peak technology concept, and an S5 Cabriolet, Q5 and S4 which have also been modified by STaSIS.