What's the news?
This is the face of Ford's all-new Ka, which will expand from its current Europe-only form and go on sale around the rest of the world, joining the likes of the Focus, Fiesta and Kuga as it does so. To underline the new Ka's global identity it was revealed in Brazil this week, by Ford executive chairman Bill Ford, who said "Ford has a long history in Brazil, bringing development, jobs and growth to the region. As an integral part of our global growth strategy, we are committed to bringing world-class products to Brazil and to helping the region create global vehicles for the rest of the world."
Ford is anticipating that the global market for 'Sub-B' cars like the Ka will grow by around 35 per cent between now and 2017, making the new Ka a particularly important model. It will mark a major break in tradition by not being built in Europe at all. The original 1995 Ka used a cut-down Fiesta platform and an ancient pushrod 1.3-litre engine dating back to the sixties. The second, current generation is built in Poland and shares engines and a platform with Fiat's Panda and 500 models.
The new Ka will be built in Brazil, and will likely use a variation of the platform that underpins the current Fiesta and the forthcoming EcoSport compact SUV. Ford of Brazil was also responsible for developing the EcoSport, a vehicle that has been so well received that it got the Ka gig too.
Style wise, it's also a major move away from the current and previous Ka, ditching the cute and cuddly looks for something much more angular, with obvious lifts from the current Fiesta and next-gen Mondeo. It also gets, for the first time ever on a Ka, five doors, although Ford hasn't yet said whether or not there will be a three-door version as well. Ford is claiming best-in-class interior quality and the new Ka will be available with high-end options such as climate control and Ford's SYNC wireless infotainment system.
"The Ford Ka Concept is aimed at customers in growth markets who want and expect more," said Joe Hinrichs, president of The Americas for Ford Motor Company, who was on hand to unveil the new concept vehicle. "It will delight consumers with its sleek design, clever technology, attention-to-detail quality and superb craftsmanship. It also shows the continued importance of our South American design and engineering capabilities to serve markets around the world. It's truly another global design and engineering milestone for Ford."
Anything else?
The new Ka will join an ever-growing group of grown-up city cars aiming to catch people looking both for a bargain and to down-size from models like the Fiesta and Corsa. Fiat has also announced a major expansion of the Panda family to include more variants, including an SUV, while Hyundai's new i10 has been receiving such strong critical reviews that it's expected to steal sales from its larger i20 brother.