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American launch of Fiat 500 may pave way for Ford Ka

 
10 6,389 views May 11, 2009
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2009 ford ka 014

2009 ford ka 003

2009 ford ka 003

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As Wall Street tumbles and Americans deal with the tough times, Ford is eying its global minicar, the Ka, for U.S. sale. The car had previously been rejected as incompatible with the American taste for large, powerful vehicles, but with the signing of the Fiat-Chrysler alliance earlier this month a new opportunity has emerged.

The Ford Ka is based on the same platform that underpins the Fiat 500 and the two are actually built off a single production line at a plant in Tychy, Poland. Chrysler, however, plans to source American versions of the 500 from one of its North American plants and according to the Detroit Free Press Ford may be able to source its Ka from the same plant.

The benefit to Chrysler would be improved economies of scale brought about by the increased production volumes. By this same logic, there’s hope Chrysler may revive its own plans for a new Dodge minicar that would also be based on the Fiat 500 platform. The most likely plant for these three vehicles would be Chrysler's Toluca facility in Mexico.

Already General Motors is delivering its Chevrolet Aveo, which though somewhat larger than the Ka, fits into a similar market segment. Likewise the Cruze small-midsize sedan may offer competition in terms of fuel economy and overall cost. Japanese competitors like the Toyota Yaris 3-door and Scion xA are already well-established.

Whatever the final decision of Ford on the Ka matter, the company is likely to need a small hatch in the U.S., below the Focus and Fiesta, to be able to compete in the future. The Ka is the most likely and logical candidate, as this reconsideration illustrates.
2009 Ford Ka

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Comments (10)

  1. ma_Edward avatar Edward Posted: 10/6/2008 3:00pm PDT

    About time. Ford has always had smaller economic models to sell throughout the world. Just typical bad management decisions has got Ford where it is today.
     
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  2. ma_NoNameDenton avatar NoNameDenton Posted: 10/6/2008 4:03pm PDT

    Good idea, it would be a good city car to compete with the the Smart
     
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  3. ma_NoNameDenton avatar NoNameDenton Posted: 10/6/2008 4:05pm PDT

    I thought the Fiesta came in below the Focus and the Ka slots below that
     
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  4. ma_bambam avatar bambam Posted: 10/7/2008 12:19am PDT

    what about the fiesta?.
    I will buy the fiesta like most people but the Ka is not ready yet. The Ford Fiesta and Focus is a must around the world.
    The Ka might come later after the fiesta but thats a long way.
     
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  5. ma_NaBUru38 avatar NaBUru38 Posted: 10/7/2008 6:54am PDT

    NoNameDenton, it does: the Ka is one segment below the Aveo, Rio, Fiesta and Fit. It is at least 250mm (10in) shorter than those hatchbacks (the actual length isn't known yet). Bambam's point is fair: the Ka is still too small for American tastes.
     
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  6. ma_Tony avatar Tony Posted: 5/11/2009 1:42pm PDT

    We have the Focus and new Fiesta here in NZ; the Fiesta's quite a small car as it is. I doubt Americans would go for anything even smaller than that, unless it's used in very congested cities with not much high-speed freeway use (too dangerous if you get shunted by a Camry, let alone a Suburban).
     
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  7. ma_NoNameDenton avatar NoNameDenton Posted: 5/11/2009 3:13pm PDT

    NoNameDenton, it does: the Ka is one segment below the Aveo, Rio, Fiesta and Fit. It is at least 250mm (10in) shorter than those hatchbacks (the actual length isn't known yet). Bambam's point is fair: the Ka is still too small for American tastes.

    It might sell well in large cities, look at the Smart, is it tiny and sells well.
     
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  8. ma_jersey avatar jersey Posted: 5/12/2009 8:03pm PDT

    The Ka will sell in the US. Look at all the people buying the old Geo Metros on Ebay like crazy. Everyone wants them for the great gas mileage. Ford is stupid to not bring the Ka over here.
     
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  9. By Sarah Posted: 8/16/2009 4:43pm PDT

    I've been waiting for years for this to happen! I first say the Ka in Europe in the late 90s, and wondered if it would ever come to the US. This car would bring me back to an American model.
     
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  10. By Lee Posted: 2/23/2010 11:45am PST

    I drive a 93 Festiva, 175k miles, still running great! I would buy a Ka today if I could find one. I like the tiny 2-door hatch style cars. I am sure that they would sell if Ford brought them to USA.
     
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