Ford, perhaps the healthiest of the big three automakers in this very unhealthy time, seems to be pulling another smart move if the rumors about its Euro-only city car, the Ka, coming to the U.S.
Again, this seems like a no-brainer to me. Not only has the precedent been set with the success of the Smart Car (as far as small and urban vehicles are concerned), but this is another off the rack solution to raising CAFE and emission standards. All Ford (or GM or Chrysler for that matter) has to do in a lot of instances is sell cars over here that they’ve already been selling in Europe. And if not whole cars, there’s lots of efficient power plants than could be dropped into the engine bays of North American models.
So bringing the Ka to the North American market (there’s no reason not to sell it in Canada) seems like a good idea. And Ford already has a performance variant rolling along the roads of Europe, so there could also be some fun out there as well. If Ford is smart and this rumor proves to be true.
There’s been no official word from Ford yet concerning the Ka’s potential future here in America, but the recent Chrysler/Fiat deal could give the Ka an in for the U.S. market. Fiat’s 500 and the Ka share the same platform, which could present an interesting cost-cutting scheme for Chrysler, Fiat and Ford.
Source: LeftLaneNews
Photo from Flickr user Panoramas
Leave a Reply