While American drivers have been able to get the Ford Focus ST ever since it arrived in 2012 (2015 model shown here in Tangerine Scream), and it has proven itself a peppy little runner, it’s a far cry from the Focus available to European sport compact fans. However, according the latest report in Torque News, since the hugely well-received introduction of the 2015 Ecoboost-powered Mustang, Ford Motor Company may be getting warmer about the idea of bringing the Focus RS to our shores.

From the spy photos we’ve seen and reports coming in, a test mule has been running around the streets and test tracks across the pond. It was certainly not a Focus ST, as the vehicle was running four-piston brakes that appeared to be sourced from Brembo, and those brakes were behind a set of 19-inch multi-spoke wheels with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires wrapped around them.

The car’s nose featured an aggressive front fascia, and the hood looked as if it were bulging from what might have been a larger turbocharged engine. It also looked as if two large exhaust ports were being covered up by wire mesh screening plastered to the tail end of the test mule. All of this hints at something much more energetic than a run-of-the-mill Focus.

So the possibility that there is a Focus RS on its way for 2016 packing a 2.3L Ecoboost powerplant could be much more than just a dream for U.S. drivers. It would surely do well here, as nothing like it is available from any other manufacturer, and with Ford’s continued success with the Ecoboost engines, the American sport compact crowd would no doubt receive it with open arms and open wallets.