Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Automotive News
  • Automobilwoche
  • Automotive News Canada
  • Automotive News China
Subscribe
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Login
  • HOME
    • Latest news
    • Automakers
    • Suppliers
    • New Product
    • Environment/Emissions
    • Sales By Market
    • On The Move
    • Auto Shows
    • Munich Auto Show
    • Geneva Auto Show
    • Paris Auto Show
    • Beijing Auto Show
    • Shanghai Auto Show
  • Features
    • Long Read
    • Interview of the Month
    • Focus on Electrification
    • Focus on Technology
    • Segment Analysis
    • Cars & Concepts
    • Supplier Spotlight
    • Europe By The Numbers
  • Opinion
    • Blogs
    • Commentary
    • Guest columnists
  • Photos
    • Photo Galleries
    • Geneva Photo Gallery
    • Beijing Photo Gallery
    • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
    • Paris Photo Gallery
    • Shanghai Photo Gallery
  • Podcasts
  • Car Cutaways
  • EVENTS
    • ANE Congress
    • ANE Rising Stars
    • ANE Eurostars
  • More
    • Publishing Partners
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
    • Media Kit
    • About Us
    • Capgemini: All or nothing: Why circular business models require a holistic approach
    • Capgemini: Invent Head on automotive takeaways from CES 2023
    • Capgemini: Securing the industry's future through a radical rethink
    • Capgemini: Succeeding with the automated driving journey through AI
    • Capgemini: The circular economy is spurring new thinking on EV batteries
    • Capgemini: Toyota and Capgemini leaders on how OEMs can handle industry changes and succeed
    • HEXAGON: Plugging into data is the only way to make winning EVs
    • PUBLICIS SAPIENT: The power of post-purchase: How automakers can maximize customer lifetime value
    • TUV Rheinland: Ideas, services and certifications for smart mobility
    • TUV Rheinland: Testing of automated and autonomous vehicles on test tracks
    • Toyota Europe
    • UFI Filters
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Blogs
Blogs
June 05, 2013 01:00 AM

Ford Ka faces uncertain future

Nick Gibbs
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    Nick Gibbs is UK correspondent at Automotive News Europe.

    The future of the Ford Ka appears uncertain after a senior marketing executive said that the minicar has been left out of a new, brandwide advertising campaign.

    "For quite a long time we have not produced new advertising" for the Ka, Elena Cortesi, Ford of Europe's director of social media, told Automotive News Europe. "It is considered a stand-alone vehicle."

    Stand-alone might be a nice way of saying "forgotten" as the Ka's sales continue to shrink. The minicar's European volume fell by 20 percent last year to 59,112. Sales through April are down 27 percent to 18,824 units, according to the most current figures from market researchers at JATO Dynamics.

    Launched in 2008 as a replacement for the successful first-generation model, the Ka is based on the Fiat 500. Both cars are built in at Fiat's factory in Tychy, Poland. The Ka, however, doesn't command the premium prices that the similarly sized, retro-styled Fiat gets. In Germany, for example, the Ka starts at 7,990 euros ($10,500), compared with an entry price of 11,600 euros for the 500.

    'No profit'

    As a result the Ka "produces absolutely no profit," Ford of Europe design head Martin Smith told British magazine Autocar

    The problem he said was that the Ka doesn't fit into the company's global One Ford strategy.

    "It won't pass a U.S. crash test, it was designed too narrowly to suit European tastes and it's only built in one place," he told the magazine. Smith said he "couldn't see much life for it" past a mid-cycle refresh.

    A Ford spokesperson, however, told us a face-lift wasn't imminently planned. "The outgoing Ka was treated in the same way – there was no face-lift as such as sales remained good over its 12-year tenure."

    Fiat partnership

    Fiat is keen to continue its Ford partnership, which helps the Italian automaker fill capacity in Tychy, but Ford will need to get a minicar with a much wider geographical appeal.

    Sources say Fiat plans to concentrate production of a global-ready next-generation 500 in Poland starting in 2015. This could have an effect on Ford's next move in the minicar segment.

    Helped by a scrappage incentive, the Ka had its best sales month in Germany since 2002.

    Other potential solutions include quitting the minicar segment or forming a new partnership to jointly produce the entry-level car in a country with even cheaper labor.

    Cortesi pointed out that sales of the Ka are still "healthy." If so, then Ford needs to do for the Ka what it needs to do for its entire European operations, start making a profit.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Giugiaro shares secret to timeless design
    Recommended for You
    Hyundai Euisun Chung and Giorgetto Giugiaro Pony concept reveal 2023
    Giugiaro shares secret to timeless design
    teslaMAIN_0.jpg
    Tesla prices fall below $35,000 with incentives in Italy
    nio_et7_top_view.jpg
    How Nio nudged Nvidia to move faster
    Sign up for free newsletters
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    Get Free Newsletters

    Sign up and get the best of Automotive News Europe delivered straight to your email inbox, free of charge. Choose your news – we will deliver.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    Get 24/7 access to in-depth, authoritative coverage of the auto industry from a global team of reporters and editors covering the news that’s vital to your business.

    SUBSCRIBE NOW
    Connect with Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Instagram

    Founded in 1996, Automotive News Europe is the preferred information source for decision-makers and opinion leaders operating in Europe.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI  48207-2997
    Tel: +1 877-812-1584

    Email Us

    ISSN 2643-6590 (print)
    ISSN 2643-6604 (online)

     

    Resources
    • About us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Awards
    • Rising Stars
    • Eurostars
    • Leading Women
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Automotive News Europe
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • HOME
      • Latest news
      • Automakers
      • Suppliers
      • New Product
      • Environment/Emissions
      • Sales By Market
      • On The Move
      • Auto Shows
        • Munich Auto Show
        • Geneva Auto Show
        • Paris Auto Show
        • Beijing Auto Show
        • Shanghai Auto Show
    • Features
      • Long Read
      • Interview of the Month
      • Focus on Electrification
      • Focus on Technology
      • Segment Analysis
      • Cars & Concepts
      • Supplier Spotlight
      • Europe By The Numbers
    • Opinion
      • Blogs
      • Commentary
      • Guest columnists
    • Photos
      • Photo Galleries
      • Geneva Photo Gallery
      • Beijing Photo Gallery
      • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
      • Paris Photo Gallery
      • Shanghai Photo Gallery
    • Podcasts
    • Car Cutaways
    • EVENTS
      • ANE Congress
      • ANE Rising Stars
      • ANE Eurostars
    • More
      • Publishing Partners
        • Capgemini: All or nothing: Why circular business models require a holistic approach
        • Capgemini: Invent Head on automotive takeaways from CES 2023
        • Capgemini: Securing the industry's future through a radical rethink
        • Capgemini: Succeeding with the automated driving journey through AI
        • Capgemini: The circular economy is spurring new thinking on EV batteries
        • Capgemini: Toyota and Capgemini leaders on how OEMs can handle industry changes and succeed
        • HEXAGON: Plugging into data is the only way to make winning EVs
        • PUBLICIS SAPIENT: The power of post-purchase: How automakers can maximize customer lifetime value
        • TUV Rheinland: Ideas, services and certifications for smart mobility
        • TUV Rheinland: Testing of automated and autonomous vehicles on test tracks
        • Toyota Europe
        • UFI Filters
      • Social Media
        • Facebook
        • Instagram
        • LinkedIn
        • Twitter
      • Contact Us
      • Media Kit
      • About Us