Ford’s first attempt at selling a hot hatchback came in the form of the front-drive Probe GT, a cute and quick car that never found much of a following. Then came the SVT Focus, which looked the part but lacked performance. But this time around, Ford seems intent on doing compact performance cars right, starting with the 252 horsepower Focus ST.

But there are plans for an even hotter hatchback, one that will be sold globally. The Focus RS has been the performance flagship for hot hatches over in Europe, and a new report from the UK’s Auto Express says that the RS could see as much as 330 horsepower from a 2.3 liter EcoBoost engine.

The revelation actually came from a chat with the Focus ST’s chief engineer Matthias Ton. Ton noted that the 2.0 liter EcoBoost in the ST is close to its performance limit without major upgrades to the fuel system and turbocharger. Ton then went on to confirm that IF the Focus RS makes it to market (and there is reason to believe it may be seriously delayed) it would likely use a 2.3 liter EcoBoost engine under development in North America. Bombshell?

The 2.3 liter EcoBoost engine could make 330 horsepower in the RS, 29 more horses than the previous generation and just 15 horses shy of the limited-edition RS500. That also all but confirms other rumors that a 2.3 liter EcoBoost engine is being developed for the 2015 Mustang. But will Ford dare bring a 300+ horsepower Focus over to North America to compete with its own pony car? We doubt it, although Ford has surprised us before.