New Ford Ka: Official Details, Available with 1.2L Petrol and 56mpg 1.3L Diesel Engines

Following the release of the first official photos back in July, we now have the initial specifications on the 2009 Ford Ka that will make its global debut at the Paris Motor Show in early October. The fresh-faced, all-new Ka that shares its platform with the Fiat 500 will be available in major European markets by late 2008/early 2009. The Ka will be produced at Fiat’s manufacturing plant in Tychy, Poland, sharing the production line with the Fiat 500 model.

Aside from the different styling compared to the Fiat 500, Ford supports that its own chassis engineering experts have tuned the suspension, steering, and chassis to deliver a more exciting or if you prefer, involving drive. Ford also says that during the engineering process, information was exchanged with the team developing the new Fiesta, and certain components, such as the tires, were jointly developed for both models. -Continued

The new Ka, that will be priced lower that the Fiat 500 will be initially offered with two engines: a 1.2-litre 69 PS Duratec petrol engine and, for the first time on Ka, a 1.3-litre 75 PS Duratorq TDCi turbodiesel. Ford says that the 1.2-litre petrol model, which is expected to be the largest seller in the range, has cut fuel consumption by 21 per cent compared to the previous 1.3-litre Ka. As for the diesel model, Ford has released a preliminary combined fuel consumption figure of 4.2 litres/100km (56mpg US / 67.2mpg UK).

When it goes on sale across Europe, the new Ford Ka will be offered in two trims, Ambiente and Titanium while Ford will also offer a number of tailored option packs. For example, if buyers choose the Bluetooth-enabled Connectivity Kit, the Ka comes equipped with Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity and a USB port to play music files through the sound system and steering wheel controls.