If there is one thing we’ve learned from the auto industry the past five years, it’s that there’s seemingly no limit on the performance car ceiling anymore. Ford, GM, and Fiat-Chrysler are all either currently, or will soon be, selling 600+ horsepower vehicles to the general public. The Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro have both come in 500-plus horsepower flavors, and the Challenger Hellcat offers a maddening 707 ponies. Compared to these heavy-hitters, the 345 horsepower Focus RS seems almost underwhelming, though the all-wheel drive hot hatch is anything but.

No wonder British motoring magazine AutoCar is reporting that Blue Oval brass are already considering a faster, lighter version of the Focus RS, depending on public response. If they do, it could potentially be the fastest hot hatch in the history of the market, with a 0 to 60 MPH time dipping below four seconds, but it could also cost as much, or more, than rivals from Mercedes and Audi.

To achieve what is approaching supercar territory, Ford likely would primarily focus on shedding weight and adding drivetrain enhancements, rather than simply increasing horsepower. Budget constraints meant that engineers were limited in their weight saving efforts on the RS that is about to hit streets, but a stripped-out interior, carbon-fiber brakes and body parts, along with forged aluminum suspension components, could save upwards of 100 kg, or about 220 pounds on a car that weighs nearly 3,300 pounds.

Further performance upgrades could come from an electronically-controlled limited-slip differential at the front wheels that was deemed too costly for the current iteration of the RS. A dual-clutch automatic could be offered as well, changing gears far faster than a human-operated stickshift ever could. Such changes could make the Focus RS a contender with the likes of the Audi RS3 and Mercedes AMG A45, both of which can run from 0 to 60 MPH in the low four-second range, while the current Focus RS is billed with a 4.7 second sprint to 60.

But all those upgrades will come at a high cost, with carbon brakes alone potentially adding close to $10,000 to the MSRP. Carbon Fiber or even more aluminum body work could easily add that much again to the price. The aforementioned Merc starts at £37,960, or nearly $58,000, compared to the £28,940, or about $44,000 the Brits pay for the RS (though here here in America the Focus RS starts at just $35,730). A price-tag of over $55,000 seems like an insane amount of money to pay for a Ford Focus…but if it can keep pace with the Shelby GT350R, it might just be worth it.