Despite Leftlane‘s best efforts last week at the Paris Motor Show to confirm that that the small Ford Ka minicar is definitely not slated for North American consumption, Ford ’s CEO, Alan Mulally, told a Detroit radio station that the company is giving the Ka another look for North America. The Ka, which is smaller than the soon-for-North America Fiesta, is Ford’s smallest product globally.
Mulally told the Paul W. Smith show on WJR that “We’re assessing [the Ka in the United States] right now.” The all-new Ka’s world premiere took place at the Paris Motor Show last week and will go on sale in Europe late this year and early next year, depending on the market.
Ford is looking to capitalize on the upturn in small car sales in North America. Despite being a decade-old design, Focus sales are up nearly 25 percent through the end of September. Naturally, the Ka would post much better fuel economy figures than the Focus.
The only car the Ka would compete directly with in the North American market would be the Smart ForTwo – it’s significantly smaller than the Fiesta, which competes with the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris.
