Ford of Europe on Friday unveiled more official photos of its 2009 Ford Ka hatchback, ahead of its official debut at the Paris Motor Show in October. The Ka has been co-developed with Fiat and rides on the same architecture as the Fiat 500.
Despite the cars’ close ties, the Ford Ka has exterior styling that is all its own, and will follow Ford’s newest design language. The Ka will continue its parts-sharing relationship with the Fiesta and has styling derived from its bigger brother. The car replaces the original Ka, which has been sold, largely unchanged, at least as far as styling is concerned, for 12 years, or more than twice the average vehicle’s lifecycle. The original Ka also debuted at the Paris Motor Show, back in 1996, and has sold more than 1.4 million units.
Mechanically, the Ka is identical to the Fiat 500 and will offer gasoline and diesel engines ranging from 1.2 to 1.4 liters. The 1.2-liter mill is likely to be the same one found in Fiats, making 69 horsepower. The same 100hp 1.4-liter as found in the Fiat Cinquecento will be optional, as well as a 1.3-liter diesel, marking the first time a diesel Ka will be offered. Also considered is a 900cc inline-2 with a turbo that will be the emissions and fuel economy champ, says an Autocar report.
The interior will feature more colors and color options to appeal to the younger demographic the car is aimed at, and will also include iPod and other MP3 player connections with the option of Bluetooth wireless connections for phones and other devices. The shifter will be mounted on the dashboard, a la 2005 Honda Civic Si hatchback, and a bigger focus will be placed on ergonomics.
Our sources indicated that a performance minded Ka ST will be offered, with a range-topping RS model still a possibility. Fiat is known to be working on two Abarth performance versions of the 500.
The Ka will roll off the same assembly line as the Fiat 500 in Tychy, Poland. In the UK, the Ka is expected to start at close to £7,500 when it comes to dealers in the early part of 2009.
