Ford CEO wants to bring Ka to U.S.
Click above for our high-res gallery of the 2009 Ford Ka
While his priority is to launch the Ford Fiesta in North America in 2010, the CEO of Ford told Automotive News that the Europe-only Ford Ka microcar might also be available in the United States. Alan Mulally said that an array of subcompact and Focus-sized cars will follow the Fiesta, and then the redesigned Ka (itself smaller than the Fiesta) may find itself on our shores. Mulally reiterated Ford's commitment to a small-car strategy, but admitted the company must find a way to achieve a decent profit margin on the inexpensive vehicles. The task is especially daunting when one considers the $8,000 to $10,000-plus margins the automaker banks on SUVs and big pickups.
Gallery: 2009 Ford Ka
[Source: Automotive News, subs. req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Torrent 11:05AM (11/03/2008)
How could they 'consider' this? No question about it, bring it over now!
Then GM might actually make an Aveo worth it's 10 grand.......nah.
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Bryan 12:17AM (11/04/2008)
+1
Why does it take them so long to make these obvious decisions?? You have the product, ramp up production, and start importing them.
inteller 11:17AM (11/03/2008)
I love all of the good intentions Mulally, but unless you actually execute on them, all they do is pave the road to hell.
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Avinash machado 11:17AM (11/03/2008)
Who would buy a Smart over this?
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John P. 11:21AM (11/03/2008)
I agree, This will a much better car than the smart for just about anyone in the market for this size car. I want!
Frat Stud 11:49AM (11/03/2008)
Amen, brother. I've driven two different American-spec Smarts and they were both massive disappointments. Small cars should take advantage of their smallness and their lightness. They should be light on their feet, zippy, and fun. The Smart is none of those things. It drives like an 1,800 lb Ford Expedition.
The Ka seems like the perfect antidote to the Smart.
why not the LS2LS7? 11:50AM (11/03/2008)
I'm skeptical about bringing this car here. I got a good look at the Ka when I was in Europe last month. It's very small and VERY cheap feeling. Unless you actually need the small size, a used car (perhaps a Civic or Corolla) is a far far far better buy.
I could be wrong on this because Americans have bought other cheap-jack vehicles before (witness the original awful Hyundai Excel or the Pontiac/Daewoo Le Mans), but I don't think this car is a good match for the US market.
rwcmick 2:45PM (11/03/2008)
Camper,
When you say that the Ka was very cheap feeling/looking were you referring to the old or new model?
P.V. 5:47PM (11/03/2008)
Thank you Ford for doing this!
You're right, I'm not sure why anyone would buy a "smart" over this. Honestly, a Dacia Logan, Hyundai i10, TATA Indica, or any other city car would be preferable to the "smart".
Level 5 11:17AM (11/03/2008)
The Ka has proven quite popular in England, I'm sure with the recent surge of smaller cars here in the States, it would certainly do well enough to make it worth Ford's while.
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ugg.tryptophan 11:22AM (11/03/2008)
give that man a raise
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ack154 11:27AM (11/03/2008)
For WANTING to do something? No thanks. Maybe give him a raise when it hits our shores. Better yet... don't give him a raise until we get the new Focus here.
JCoke 11:23AM (11/03/2008)
It's important to have a solid lineup from top to bottom for a car company. The lack of such is a big part of why GM is in so much trouble. Ford too.
And the Smart starts at 12g. For a car that size, that's pretty pricey.
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CarbonBlack 11:29AM (11/03/2008)
"the company must find a way to achieve a decent profit margin on the inexpensive vehicles"
The profit from a small car is better than the ZERO profit they are currently making on their SUV's!
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CarbonBlack 11:30AM (11/03/2008)
BTW Mr ford dude,
look at honda.....their small cars a getting them more profit than your big cars!
Atomicbri 7:44AM (11/04/2008)
This is why Ford and GM fail here in the states. They have had no clue over the years realizing that big honkin SUVs would be on the way out. So instead of investing into some good everyday cars, they banked their entire future at the time on archaic SUVs and trucks. I don't think they will ever see profit margins like they did with the SUVs because those vehicles were so low tech and cheap to make considering their lack of tech and lack of great safety. A modern small car nowadays is much more tech advanced than the current Ford Explorer.
I agree with you Carbon that Honda has shown you can profit from small, nicely made cars. It just goes to show people there at Ford are having one helluva time trying to change their corporate culture to make small cars profitable.
Brent Schmidt 11:43AM (11/03/2008)
Do it. Do it yesterday.
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hyundaifans.com 11:45AM (11/03/2008)
These small cars should come with a body bag for two. I certainly would not want to be in any of these micro cars when American roads are jam packed with huge vehicles. These cars sell well in Europe because of their ridiculously high gas prices and the fact that huge vehicles are not common on their roads. Even a low speed "tap" by an F-150 would crush these sardine can cars! I'll pay the premium to be in a Accord/Sonata/Camry class vehicle!
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Torrent 11:52AM (11/03/2008)
... said the guy who supports the Hyundai Accent...
hyundaifans.com 11:57AM (11/03/2008)
Supporting Hyundai is different from supporting the Accent dummy.