Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) is resisting the temptation to engage in an all-out horsepower war with Holden Special Vehicles (HSV). Least for the time being, says new boss, Rod Barrett.

Barrett fronted the media for the first time in his new position as general manager of the Ford/Prodrive joint-venture performance outfit today, stating that the company would continue its focus on 'Total Performance' rather than embark on a kW-for-kW engine output war with its opposite number in the Holden camp.

Whether FPV would continue with that policy in the long term was not so clear, however.

"In the short term, our thinking is to continue with that [Total Performance focus] but in the long term the question remains: is it entirely horsepower? Is that what we [FPV] are all about?"

"[At this stage] It's a difficult question to answer but I don't think we're going to go chasing numbers on the back of cars at the moment,"

Despite Barrett's statement today, FPV has been tipped to launch a 302kW version of its BOSS 290 engine since mid-year. In the face of an expected capacity and horsepower onslaught from Holden's hotshoe arm, Barrett said the decision on where FPV would go in the longer term was still a work-in-progress.

"It's a question of whether we want to tackle that challenge. It's too early [in my tenure] for me to start getting involved whether I want to be chasing horsepower or [concentrating on] developing allround good cars."

Barrett did reveal that FPV's next generation of products would closely follow Ford's launch of its Orion models. He said he would be "disappointed" if the FPV product was any more than a month behind the main vehicle's Q2 2008 launch.

In the meantime FPV would focus on launching three limited edition models based on the current line-up. Intended to kickstart FPV's sales and build momentum ahead of the Orion-based FPV models' launch, the first of these is still subject to embargo, but will be announced this Friday.

Barrett said FPV would launch two new models at Sydney Motor Show describing one as "exciting" and the other as "interesting".

Though he refused to be drawn on further details, it's the Carsales Network's belief that Barrett's "exciting" launch is the 302kW Cobra-badged Falcon GT (more here). The "interesting" launch is almost certainly the long, long awaited off-and-on FPV Territory.

This latter release would be FPV's first concrete step away from its 100 per cent Falcon-based history.

"I don't want us to be thought of as the Falcon GT Car Company. If it comes with a Ford badge, can be considered a performance vehicle and the customer demand is there, we will look at it," Barrett said.

Highlighting the potential the local production of Focus delivers, Barrett commented; "As we enter a new phase, we need to dispel this myth that FPV is just about Falcons."

"Local production [of a small car] gives us a real opportunity to look outside that square. In Europe there's [Focus and] Mondeo variants through to ST and RS.

"Having spent seven years in Europe I understand what the RS badge means… We'd have to sit down with Tom [Gorman] and see what Ford's plans are but I'd like to think that if RS was to come Down Under that it would come to us [FPV]," he said.

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