While the 2009 Ka will be at the Paris motorshow, the first volume production examples of the new city rolled off the production line at a special ceremony in Fiat’s Tychy plant, in Poland. The new Ka is 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 city cars don’t share any sheetmetal or any major interior components.
"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 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.
2 engines will be available; 1.2 litre 69PS Duratec petrol engine that returns 119g/km of CO2, while the 1.3 litre TDCi 75PS Duratorq turbodiesel returns 67.2mpg and emits just 110g/km. UK models will come as Studio, Style, Style + and Zetec. Option packs and individual options like heated front seats, panoramic glass sunroof, Bluetooth connectivity/USB port and 6 speaker audio system will be available alongside other options. Sales start in Spring 2009.
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