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Ford announces UK pricing for the 2009 Ka
 
Ford U.K. announced today pricing for the all-new 2009 Ka that will go on sale in January. Pricing starts at £7,995 for the Studio (basic) version, £8,495 for the Style, £8,995 for the Style+, and £9,495 for the Zetec model. This translates into a price range of about $10,000 to $12,000 at current exchange rates, but there is no word yet on the price range when/if the Ka makes it to the States. All-new Ka is available with 1.2 69 hp gas and 1.3 75 hp diesel engines at its debut. There are future plans to expand range to include a convertible and a high performance ST model. Press release after the jump. Full story
Olga Kurylenko - Ka’s first driver
Bond is all about the Aston Martin, and now that Ford has sold the British brand, it may be having a its own bit of regret for missing out on the promotional material. Possibly to get over its quantum of solace, the Ford Ka will be featured in the new James Bond flick, ‘Quantum of Solace’ (U.S. premiere November 14th). Unfortunately for Ford, it isn’t Bond piloting its little car, but instead the ubiquitous feisty sidekick/sex toy. But Ford is still taking the time to do plenty of shameless promotion. The actress in the movie Olga Kurylenko is having a series of promotional programs highlighting he career so far, and Ford wants you to know because she will also be likely seen with her Ka. If you’re still interested hit the jump for the press release and more info. Full story
Ford Ka coming in USA
The small car flood begins. Ford was once very clear about keeping the miniature Ka in Europe, but that now has seemed to change. Ford Chief Executive Alan Mulally says increased demand for small cars has led the automaker to revisit its decision not to bring the tiny Ka model to the United States. The redesigned Ka made its world debut last week at the Paris Auto Show and will go on sale on the European market by late this year or early 2009. The smallest car current in Ford’s line up is the Focus, and those sales were 24 percent through September.
2008 Ford Ka Digital, Tattoo, and Grand Prix
Who said the Ford Ka is a boring car? It might have been in the past, but the new generation is quite impressive. And if this is not enough for you, Ford brings to Paris Auto Show three customized Ka, offering a combination of exciting interior and exterior designs based on very different themes. All three packs are available on the standard Zetec model only.  The Ka Digital is using a high-contrast green as the base colour. The exterior pack features patterned body stripes and solid green grille surround and door mirror cappings. The interior pack includes seats with patterned inserts and green headrests, green door panels, and a solid green finish to the centre console bezel, door pulls, instrument cluster shroud, steering wheel and the rings around the air vents. Ka Grand prix comprises patterned body stripes with solid colour grille surround and door mirror cappings, and can be combined with a rear spoiler and white alloy wheels. The interior pack features red seats with an embossed white pattern and white headrests, red door panels and red leather trim on the steering wheel.  And the third one, the Ka Tattoo includes a large decal of the tattoo logo on the roof and a smaller decal on the fender. The interior pack features seats with silver-grey fabric inserts and the tattoo logo embossed on the backrest, silver-grey headrests and door panels, and anthracite leather trim on the steering wheel. Full story
Ford Ka production begins
Even if the 2009 Ka will make it world debut next week at the Paris Auto Show, the first small car rolled off the production line at a special ceremony today in Tychy, Poland. Sales will begin early next year and the company will build 120,000 units a year. While it shares some components with the Fiat 500, which is also built in the Tychy plant, both vehicles look completely different and are true to the individual brands’ identities. The new Ka is unmistakably a Ford. It captures the same youthful and cheeky spirit of the model it replaces and retains all of the qualities which made the Ka so popular – its compact size, great looks, lively dynamics and fun personality – but presents them in a fresh new package. Full story
Ford Ka CC rendering
After revealing details on the 2010 Ford Ka ST, AutoExpress also revealed details on a drop-top version of the Ka. Set to arrive in European showrooms in 12 months, the Ka CC will compete with the recently announced Fiat 500 cabriolet (a car with which it shares an assembly line.) The Ka CC will be limited to a two-seater featuring a metal roof. Under the hood Ford will place either a 100bhp 1.4-liter gas or Fiat’s 1.3 Multijet diesel. Expect the Ka CC to carry a price premium over the standard car, starting at around £13,500 (under $24,000 if it were available in the U.S.)
Ford Ka ST coming in 2010
Why does Europe get to keep all the hot hatches? After we brought you a preview of the new Honda Civic hatchback last week, we now get a glimpse at the next Ford Ka ST. Based on the 2009 Ka, the ST version will be revealed in 2010. The ST should face some stiff competition from cars like Abarth 500 and Renaultsport Twingo 133. The Ka ST will feature a bodykit with flared wheelarches and sporty front and rear bumpers. Its dynamic aspect will be accentuated by the by the racing stripes and the multi-spoke alloy wheels, side skirts and a venturi-style rear end, completed with twin exhausts. Under the hood there will be a 1.4-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine that delivers 135bhp. The 0 to 60 mph sprint will be made in 8 seconds while top speed will be around 125mph. Ford Ka to be James Bond’s newest sidekick
Ka, Ford Ka. Inserting a car into a movie is nothing new. One of the best examples is if it wasn’t for Dustin Hoffman running around California in his Spider for the movie “The Graduate”, Alfa Romeo may have not existed very long in the U.S. at all. A lesser example is the new Mondeo’s warm reception it got in the last James Bond film “Casino Royale”. But the film gave Ford some great buzz about the new family sedan, so now it’s trying it again, this time with the budget-minded Ka. But Bond’s ego can’t fit in the little car so it will be given to his female friend.  So far there have been no announced plans to bring the Ka to the U.S. Possibly if the Ka gets real interest from American moviegoers, then it might become part of the other European models Ford will offer in the USA. For the new movie “The Quantum of Solace”, Ford has assembled a new Ka that is unique with metallic gold paint and an exclusive exterior graphics and interior trim combination. So much for machine gun headlights and grill mounted missiles.
2009 Ford Ka - new official images
Ford officially released pictures of the 2009 Ka that will make its official debut in October at the Paris Auto Show. The new generation UK best seller comes twelve years after the original was introduced. The original design was one of the first production cars to use Ford’s "new edge" design philosophy. Now, the next generation will be brought up-to-date utilizing Ford’s "kinetic" design.  Roelant de Waard, chairman and managing director, Ford of Britain, said, "The original has been a huge hit in the UK with a sales record of over 480,000 – 80% of which have been to retail customers, and many of those first-time buyers." Stay tuned, more details should be revealed before the official debut.
2009 Ford Ka - first official photo
After 13 years, Ford is finally giving the world a new Ka. Although Ford does not sell the Ka in the U.S. (nor has it made any announcements to the contrary,) it is an an essential car for Ford in European and Latin American markets. The second generation Ford Ka will be in good company as it will not be built alongside the Fiat Panda and 500 at Fiat’s factory in Tychy, Poland. It will likely also share engines from the 500 and the Panda’s range. The new Ka will make its world debut this October at the Paris Auto Show. But like in many other cases it couldn’t remain a secret until the official launch, and here’s the first official image.
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