9:03 am, August 4, 2008
HERE is the new Ford Ka, unmasked.
Ford has unveiled first images of the brand-new city car, which will be shown to the public at this October’s Paris Motor Show.
Ford has used strong design elements from the original, but has also given the new car a chunkier appearance and more upmarket finish. There’s more sculpting and creasework in the panels, while body-colour bumpers are better integrated than the original’s distinctive items.
Inside, too, it’s considerably posher, with lots of hi-tech gadgetry including climate control, steering wheel stereo controls and a trip computer.
The innovative original Ka went on sale in 1996, and has remained identical ever since. Sales have held up well over the years – it’s long been a city car best-seller, with 480,000 hitting UK roads in that time. Such longevity is testimony to the strength of the design. Which is why it’s such a key element of the new one, too.
Ford claims high rates of owner loyalty with the current model, and aims for high retention rates when the new car is released. What’s more, they’re profitable customers, too – 80 per cent of Ka sales are to retail buyers.
Built in Poland, it’s actually derived from the Fiat Panda and 500 platform, and will be assembled for Ford by Fiat. The blue oval still claims to have had a major influence on design, though. Here’s hoping the famed Ford ‘feel’ has been engineered in.
