2009 Ford Ka Begins Production

While we’re waiting to see the 2009 Ka up close at the Paris Motor Show, the first volume production example of Ford’s new minicar rolled off the production line at a special ceremony today in Fiat’s Tychy plant in Poland. The new Ka was jointly developed with Fiat, but while it shares most of its underpinning with the Fiat 500 that is also built along with the Panda in the Tychy plant, the two minicars don’t share any sheetmetal or any major interior components. -Continued

"It was three years ago that we reached agreement with Fiat to produce the new Ka here in Tychy," explained Ian Slater, vice-president communications and public affairs, Ford of Europe. "One of the strengths of this co-operation has been that both parties wanted to produce vehicles which would be very different in looks and character. I'm satisfied that in doing so, we've set up a 'win-win' opportunity for both companies."

Ford’s investment in the 500-Ka project amounted to 210 million Euros and it resulted to the addition of another 1,000 jobs in the plant and more among locally-based suppliers. Annual production of Ford Ka will be 120,000 units a year.

2009 Ford Ka: Updated Image Gallery with new High-Res Photos

We’re updating our 2009 Ka story as we got our hands on a brand new set of photos that include shots of Ford’s mini car in a bright red colour (those hub caps look so out of place...) as well as new pictures of the interior. Follow the jump to check out the gallery or click here to read our previous post on the Ka that includes details on the available trims and powertrain options. -Continued

Photos edited by Carscoop

New Ford Ka: Official Details, Available with 1.2L Petrol and 56mpg 1.3L Diesel Engines

Following the release of the first official photos back in July, we now have the initial specifications on the 2009 Ford Ka that will make its global debut at the Paris Motor Show in early October. The fresh-faced, all-new Ka that shares its platform with the Fiat 500 will be available in major European markets by late 2008/early 2009. The Ka will be produced at Fiat’s manufacturing plant in Tychy, Poland, sharing the production line with the Fiat 500 model.

Aside from the different styling compared to the Fiat 500, Ford supports that its own chassis engineering experts have tuned the suspension, steering, and chassis to deliver a more exciting or if you prefer, involving drive. Ford also says that during the engineering process, information was exchanged with the team developing the new Fiesta, and certain components, such as the tires, were jointly developed for both models. -Continued

The new Ka, that will be priced lower that the Fiat 500 will be initially offered with two engines: a 1.2-litre 69 PS Duratec petrol engine and, for the first time on Ka, a 1.3-litre 75 PS Duratorq TDCi turbodiesel. Ford says that the 1.2-litre petrol model, which is expected to be the largest seller in the range, has cut fuel consumption by 21 per cent compared to the previous 1.3-litre Ka. As for the diesel model, Ford has released a preliminary combined fuel consumption figure of 4.2 litres/100km (56mpg US / 67.2mpg UK).

When it goes on sale across Europe, the new Ford Ka will be offered in two trims, Ambiente and Titanium while Ford will also offer a number of tailored option packs. For example, if buyers choose the Bluetooth-enabled Connectivity Kit, the Ka comes equipped with Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity and a USB port to play music files through the sound system and steering wheel controls.

James Bond’s Ford KA to be Hydrogen-Powered?

Ford released a bunch of pictures of the all-new KA (see details and photos here) that will make a cameo appearance at the new James Bond film, “Quantum of Solace” that opens in the UK and France on October 31st, then across the rest of the world during November 2008. The new KA will be used in the film as the personal car of leading lady Olga Kurylenko, who plays Bond's ally Camille.

The “Quantum of Solace” KA that was created by Ford of Europe’s Design team, in collaboration with the movie’s Oscar award-winning production designer, Dennis Gassneby, gets a metallic gold paint, an exclusive exterior graphics and interior trim combination and –weirdly enough, a set of “Greener Planet” and “Hydrogen” decals. Ford makes no mention of the decals in its official press release so your guess is as good as ours to as why the automaker decided to add them on the James Bond movie KA. -Image gallery after the jump

Design Poll: Fiat 500 vs Ford KA

Our first thought when we saw the 2009 KA was what an excellent job Ford did to disguise the minicar's Fiat 500 origins. Even though Ford’s designers were limited by the architecture of the car, the KA bears no resemblance to its Italian sibling. But different doesn’t necessarily mean better - or does it? What we want to know is if you prefer the Fiat 500’s retro looks or the Ford KA’s modern “Kinetic” design. Yep, it’s a tough question but someone had to ask it. Enlighten us with your answers in the comment section. (Image: CarScoop)

2009 Ford KA: Official Details and High-Res Image Gallery

At 00:01 Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) Ford officially lifted the veil over its all-new KA. We are aware that the embargo was breached earlier today, but these are the first high-resolution photos of Ford's new city car that will make its global debut at the 2008 Paris Motor Show in October. Moreover, we have additional images of the 2009 KA that you can check out right after the jump.

As we told you in our previous post on the new KA, Ford did not reveal a single piece of information in its press release, so we'll have to wait until September to learn all the details and especially, the engine line-up. What we do know is that the new KA is based on Fiat's highly successful 500 which in turn uses a shortened version of the Panda's platform. However, the two cars are totally different in design and unless you're blind, there's no way you'll mistake one car for another. -Continued

The only visible shared component that we found by comparing pictures of the 500 and the KA, are the A/C controls on the centre console. Overall, the new KA looks fresh in and out. It may feature a less radical design than the first-generation KA, but on the other hand, it's also less polarizing.

PRESS RELEASE: FRESH, FUNKY AND FUN, INTRODUCING THE ALL-NEW FORD KA

Paris Show debut for all-new Ford Ka
Bold, fashionable and stylish design
Full of youthful and cheeky Ka spirit
Exciting successor to the iconic original

The exciting new Ka, Ford's fresh, fun and funky small car, will take centre-stage at the 2008 Paris Motor Show in October. The all-new Ford Ka brings new levels of style and enjoyment to affordable city cars. Twelve years after the original Ka was launched to great acclaim, its successor captures the same youthful and cheeky spirit. The new model 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.

Stylish Inside and Out: Ford designers have given the new Ka a fashionable, modern appearance based around the company's 'kinetic design' form language. A number of visual cues provide a connection to the original Ka, but with its distinctive face and chunky proportions the new model has its own unique character. The interior of the new Ka also has a stylish, dynamic design, combining bold contrasts and expressive colours which reflect the more adventurous tastes of the typical Ka buyer.

Rebirth of a Design Icon: The new model is destined to continue the considerable success of the original Ford Ka, which is widely considered to be an automotive design icon. Launched at the Paris Motor Show in 1996, the Ka was immediately praised for its exciting "New Edge" styling and class-leading driving dynamics. Throughout its 12-year life the Ka has remained tremendously popular among small-car buyers, inspiring fierce loyalty from its owners. In total, Ka production has exceeded 1.4 million vehicles. Further information on the new Ford Ka range will be released in time for the Paris Motor Show in early October 2008.

2009 Ford KA to be officially Revealed on Friday – See it on CarScoop

When the clock strikes 12:00 am tonight (that’s Friday, August 1st), Ford will take the wraps off the 2009 KA revealing the first photos of its highly anticipated minicar that’s scheduled to make its global debut at the Paris Motor Show in early October. Since we’ve already seen the front quarter view of the Fiat 500 based KA –no thanks to U.K. sourced leak, what remains to be seen is the rear-end of the car and of course, the interior.

Unless some website or blog decides to do otherwise, we won’t break the embargo by showing you the two remaining pictures of the KA. What we can do though is tell you that Ford won’t be revealing any technical details or any significant information for that matter, on the new KA. (Picture edited by CarScoop)

2009 Ford KA Leaked Ahead of Paris Debut

The first official image of Ford’s second generation KA citycar was leaked into the internet this morning. We’re still short on details but we gather it won’t take long before Ford lets outs official information on the KA’s long-awaited successor that’s scheduled to make its world debut at the Paris Show in early October. Our first take is that Ford’s designers did a pretty convincing job in hiding the new KA’s Fiat 500 underpinnings as the minicar looks remarkably distinct and different. -Continued

Ford of Europe’s engineers are also said to have reworked the Fiat 500’s chassis in order to maintain the previous KA’s reputation for fine handling. In terms of powerplants, the KA is expected to be powered by the same engine range as its Italian cousin. Though this has not been officially confirmed yet, the KA’s line-up is said to include an ST model equipped with the 500 Abarth’s 1.4-liter turbocharged unit. The new KA will be built alongside the 500 at Fiat’s Tychy plant in Poland.

Via: Cartibe (-Opening picture edited by CarScoop -)