
2009 ford ka 014

The 2009 Ford Ka is one of the most stylish minicars currently on sale overseas
Enlarge PhotoFor many years Ford’s sales performance in the United States has been linked closely with its top-selling pickup truck and SUV lines, but with demand for such vehicles continuing to slide the Blue Oval has acknowledged that its future lineup will have to feature much more small cars. Fortunately, Ford’s European division has been successfully selling small cars for almost as long as Ford in the U.S. has been selling
pickups.
The carmaker’s CEO Alan Mulally has now reaffirmed plans to continue with development for a new-generation of
Ford small cars destined for U.S. consumption, despite high fuel prices starting to recede.
Fuel "prices are going to stay relatively higher, even though they're down right now," Mulally told
Automotive News last week. "The most important thing we can do is have a full complement of small and medium-sized cars and utilities that complement our larger vehicles."
The first of Ford’s new small cars will be the
all-new Fiesta, which is set to enter production in Mexico in 2010. According to Mulally, an array of subcompact and Focus-sized compact cars will follow. The smallest of these,
the second-generation Ford Ka, which was recently unveiled in Europe, is also a possibility but no firm decision has been made.
The Ka is currently the smallest vehicle in Ford’s lineup and is roughly the same size as
the Toyota iQ and slightly larger than
the Mercedes Smart.
One of the biggest hurdles for the introduction of small cars is profitability. It will be tough to replace the $8,000 to $10,000-plus profit margins on big pickups and
SUVs.
2009 Ford Ka
2009 Ford Fiesta
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The KA is also made by fiat too, and shares the 500's platform, so there is no question that this car will be just as good (but not better).
After this, all the other manufacturers will have to up their game, or get fiat to build them a mini car too, just like BMW have done for their new tiny Mini project and their own tiny car too!
=)
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