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 -)

2009 Ford Ka Scooped in Poland

The Fiat 500’s alter ego, the second generation Ford Ka has been scooped by the folks at "Polskatimes" virtually undisguised. From what we can tell, these pictures seem to have been shot inside Fiat’s Tychy factory in Poland where both the 500 and Ka are built. Unlike Fiat’s retro approach, Ford designed the Ka to look sort of like a miniaturized version of the new Fiesta. To a lesser extent, same goes for the interior, which as you can see, will also be offered with vibrant two-color schemes. The new Ka will make its debut at the Paris Show this fall with European sales following shortly after. -More pics after the jump

Via: Polskatimes

2009 Ford Ka: Ford’s Version of the Fiat 500 Unwrapped

The forthcoming Ford Ka II minicar has been caught with its pants down by the folks over at German car magazine “Autobild”. In their latest issue, the second generation Ka is revealed in detail without any camouflage whatsoever. Set to make its first public appearance at the Paris Auto Show this fall, the Ka is heavily based on the Fiat 500 and it will be built alongside the Italian mini in at Fiat’s Tychy plant in Poland.

From what we can tell from these images and even though the shape of the Ka bears a strong resemblance to the Fiat 500, it doesn’t look like it shares any visible parts with its the retro-penned Italian minicar. Instead, the Ka looks more like a Fiesta that just came out of the dryer....

Via: Autobild (thanks for the scan Tim!)

2009 Ford Ka Rendering Looks Pretty Accurate

From all the renderings of the forthcoming second-generation Ford Ka that we’ve seen up until now, we’d say that this one, courtesy of the Italian website “Omniauto”, seems like its the closest one to the actual car that will be unveiled this fall at the Paris Motor Show. The 2009 Ka rendering incorporates several design elements from the all-new Ford Fiesta hatchback and in all, it looks pretty nice.

While Ford’s new Euro baby will be built on the same platform as the highly successful Fiat 500, according to the company’s execs, the new Ka will not share any visible parts with its Italian counterpart.

Via: Omniauto

2009 Ford Ka Appears in New James Bond Movie Trailer

The vehicle you see in these blurry images that we managed to snap from a behind-the-scenes video of James Bond’s forthcoming film titled “Quantum of Solace” (scheduled to hit movie theaters on November 7, 2008) is the 2009 Ford Ka. As many of you might already know, Ford Motor Company has a deal with the producers of the James Bond series to show off its vehicles in 007’s movies.

Ford’s new Euro baby car will be officially launched at the forthcoming Paris Auto Show this September. The 2009 Ka is being built as part of a co-operation deal between Ford and Fiat and it’s based on the same platform as the successful Fiat 500. According to Ford’s the new Ka will not share any visible parts with its Italian sister car. –See more pictures of the 2009 Ka along with the video after the jump

Quantum of Solace

Ford Launches Limited Edition Two-Tone KA

Ford’s British arm has announced the market launch of a Two-Tone special edition version of the KA. According to Ford, the two-tone KA has a retro-look (to be honest, we can’t see it). Anyway, only 1,000 units of the Two-Tone KA will be available in the UK priced from £7,995 ($16,440 or €11,090). Buyers can opt between four body colors: panther black, ocean, sea grey and new blazer blue, all combined with the moondust silver bumpers and mirror housings. -Continued

2009 Ford Ka Rendering

Brit magazine Autoexpress is attempting to preview Ford’s next generation Ka through a computer-generated image featured on this week’s front cover. We cant say if the artist has come close to the actual Ka that will be presented at the 2008 Paris Show in September, but it does look eerily alike with the K(i)a Picanto facelift (see here). What we do know is that Ford’s new baby will be sharing its underpinnings with the all-new Fiat 500, which has proved a success even before it went on sale. You can check out the whole story on Autoexpress’ website by clicking the link below.

Via: Autoexpress

2008 Ford Ka Renderings

Believe it or not, the next generation Ford Ka will not only be built by Fiat at the Tychy plant in Poland but it will also be based on the New 500’s underpinnings. However, according to Ford Europe officials, the two mini cars will significantly differ in design –in and out. Car Online decided to share with us a couple of artist's impressions previewing the looks of the new Ka which will debut in mid 2008. Despite the fact that the Ka shown here is a five-door, Car Online notes that Ford’s new mini car will again be a compact three-door hatch. -Continued after the jump

The Ka, which may be previewed as a concept at the September Frankfurt Show, will be offered once more in an ST guise. The latter, as with the rest of the Ka range, is expected to be equipped with a Fiat 500 derived powertrain –probably the Abarth’s 1.4-liter Turbo producing between 120 to 150Hp. We know it’s way too early for assumptions, but having in mind that the New 500’s platform doesn’t even come close in terms of driving dynamics to the current Ka, we doubt that the new Ka ST will offer the same kind of pleasure behind the steering wheel.

Via: Autoblog.it , Source: Car

Hot Babes: Fiat 500 Abarth & Ford Ka ST

As much as we love horsepower-crazy rear-wheel drive cars, “mini-bombs” have their own appeal; they’re fast, cheap to buy and run (with European standards) and they’re your best bet in moving around densely populated cities. UK magazine Autoexpress is giving us a preview of two of the most anticipated mini GTi’s in Europe: the Fiat 500 Abarth and its first cousin, the 2008 Ford Ka ST. Cousins? Yes casue Ford signed an agreement with Fiat in 2006, under which the Italians will manufacture the new Ford Ka and Fiat 500 at their plant in Tychy, Poland. Both models will be based on a shortened version of the Fiat Panda’s platform. -Read more after the jump

Among the two, the first one to come out in the European market will be the Fiat 500 Abarth which will get a sporty bodykit, and most importantly, a 1.4 T-Jet engine powering the front wheels through a 6speed manual gearbox. While Autoexpress assumes that the Abarth will be fitted with the 150Hp version of the 1.4-litre engine, in our opinion, it’s more logical that Fiat will avoid any perfomance conflicts with the Grande Punto Abarth preferring the 120Hp version.

The Ka ST, which will replace the current SportKa with its normally aspirated 1.6-liter engine, will make its appearance towards the end of 2008. While we’re pretty sure about the 500’s mechanics, there’s little to say with certainty about the Ka ST. Its basic versions will definitely wear the same powertrains as the 500, but there’s no word on whether Fiat & Ford’s agreement includes the top-of-the-range 1.4 T-Jet engine. Then again, is it possible (mechanic-wise and cost-wise) for Ford to put one of its own powetrains –lets say for example, the new 125Hp 1.6-liter, on the 500/Ka platform? We seriously doubt it.

Via: Autoblog.it , Source: Autoexpress

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