Not Coming to America: Redesigned Ford Ka, Ranger
2009 Ford Ka - Click above for high-res image gallery
Ford CEO Alan Mulally has said a couple of times that he'd like to see the diminutive and highly efficient Ford Ka sold here in the States, though we always questioned whether it would actually happen. Wonder no more, as Mulally has just come right out and said that the little car won't make the trek to America. Speaking to Automotive News, Mulally said, "Our view is that Fiesta is about the smallest vehicle that we think will be a real success in the United States." So, there you go.
Also not coming to America will be the next-generation Ford Ranger, which has been spotted testing over in Australia a couple of times already. At this point, it's not clear what (if anything) will replace the rapidly aging compact pickup when the current Ranger ends production in 2011.
Gallery: 2009 Ford Ka
[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
mike 9:14AM (11/10/2009)
Well, hopefully nissan will still come with their small ride....
...and of course there will be the fiat 500.
Then the toyota --- err- scion iQ.
I am hopeful that one or the other or all will actually give us a decent choice of efficient engines.
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Mark Kiernan 9:30AM (11/10/2009)
What would it cost to ship over a few thousand, change the speedometer to Miles/hour and sell it in show-rooms?
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Throwback 10:16AM (11/10/2009)
Quite a bit actually. The car would have to be crash tested, the dollar is very weak, and the Ka would end up costing as much if not more than the Mexican built Fiesta. My guess is we will eventually get the 3 door Fiesta with the 1.2L engine from the Ka.
KK 11:21AM (11/10/2009)
Not just crash tests, but environmental tests as well. Also, they have to make sure all their dealers have (or can quickly obtain) all the spare parts specific to that car.
Mattias 12:05PM (11/10/2009)
The 1.2 liter from the Ka is no option for Ford. This is a Fiat engine. The Ka is 80% Fiat. Just the design is Ford. Consumption wise the Ka is not so much better than the Fiesta (when equipped with comparable engines). So a ~100hp 1.2 Ecoboost three cylinder in the Fiesta would really make sense.
The main reason for the Ka in Europe is occupied space. In narrow European cities the 20 or so inches the Ka is shorter are really an advantage. In the US the relative advantage of a Fiesta compared to the average american car is much greater.
Mike!!ekiM 9:39AM (11/10/2009)
This is more of an indication Alan doesn't know Peak Oil is REAL, and should resign.
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Laurens 9:53AM (11/10/2009)
Fiat 500 is on the same platform. With better engine technology!
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Bip-D-Bo 10:12AM (11/10/2009)
Good. We don't need it or want it. The last thing I want is to share the road with another car that would crumble like a soda can. Remember the Geo Metro? Fuel efficient. Reliable. 1800 lbs. GM doesn't sell them anymore because nobody wants them. If we want to reduce our fuel dependence and (Yes, I'll say it for you tree hugging, Gore-gullible worshipping irrationalists out there) CO2 emissions, we shouldn't be making our small cars smaller. We should be making our largest vehicles lighter and more fuel efficient.
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Joe 10:49AM (11/10/2009)
Nobody wants Geo Metros? Are we talking about the Geo Metros that are selling used for the same price they sold new? Those Geo Metros?
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/16/geo-metros-going-for-big-money-on-high-gas-prices/
Bip-D-Bo 11:08AM (11/10/2009)
Wow. $7,200 for a 16 year old tin can with 49 hp. Hysteria never ceases to amaze (or amuse me). Ford's point is that to sell such a car new at the price they would need to (maybe about $12,000), they would not have mass appeal in the US. On the insane brick roads, tiny parking spots, huge gas prices, and lower average income of Europe, there is a market.
Dave B 11:11AM (11/10/2009)
Trucks only get bigger in America. The F-150 is so big, it comes with an optional elevator so you can get into it. Now the Ranger is being pulled off the market.
I just don't get it...... Why won't they sell small trucks in America?
I tell you what. I have no plans to buy a truck any time soon. I'll just keep nursing my 90's model truck along until they decide to make a smaller pickup I'm willing to buy.
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Dave B 11:15AM (11/10/2009)
GM stopped selling Geo's, crushed the EV1, bought Hummer, focused on big trucks and.........WENT BANKRUPT!!!!
Hmmmm........
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Luke 12:00PM (11/10/2009)
That's a bummer about the Ranger. I own a 2.5L RWD 1998 Ranger now, but I'd like to upgrade to a 4wd. Since I plan to drive my next truck for ~20 years (I use my truck to haul heavy objects on weekends, there's every reason it should last 20 years), I'm also looking for really good under-the-hood technology. Maybe a diesel, maybe some sort of hybrid with an electric power takeoff. Maybe a Subaru-style AWD system. I need a 6' bed, and about 2500lbs worth of towing capacity. Of course, an 8' bed and 3500lbs towing capacity would be better.
By the looks of things, though, neither Ford, nor GM, nor Toyota, nor Nissan will sell me such a vehicle. I could probably trade my truck for used one with 4wd and an E85-compatible engine, I guess. Or, if the hype about the Mahindra truck materializes, maybe that will work for me -- it has a diesel engine, at least, and they seem to be talking about a diesel-electric hybrid.
Oh, well!
P.S. I'm not interested in a normal-sized truck. It just won't fit in my driveway, so I don't care what the mileage or costs are compared to the more-compact pickup. Also, I just don't like big vehicles.
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Throwback 12:35PM (11/10/2009)
Pickuptrucks.com had a review of the diesel Mahindra a while back. The review was of the current truck, not the US version but it sould give you an idea of what to expect. I am surprised the Ranger is not coming stateside. It is the last compact truck left.
neptronix 12:32PM (11/10/2009)
They're making a wise decision. I'm all for small cars, but that thing just won't sell very well here. Ford buyers do not want a mini-car. The fiesta hurts their image enough as is, lol.
It's on the ugly side of things, too. There are better looking small cars out there for sure.
I hope they do the fiesta right. Give us a 3 door option for christ's sake and put a good engine in @ an upper trim level.. nuff said
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Luke 3:36PM (11/10/2009)
I'm a Ford buyer.
I've owned two Fords over the last decade, and I'm only interested in small/efficient cars. But, until recently, the Focus looked like a cheap car -- not a small car. (The Mini Cooper is a small car.) Also, my 1989 Tempo was crap, so Ford has to prove to me that their new small cars are durable, repairable, and ready for prime time.
From what I've heard, the new Fiesta and world-Focus look like they might actually be good small cars. If my wife and I didn't already have a Prius, they'd probably be on my list, since they seem like real cars (as opposed to cheap cars that you're supposed to drive until you an afford something else). But the Prius has been a wonderfully reliable transportation appliance, so we're not likely to downgrade to anything to anything with lower mileage as long as we have the choice.
My Ranger sure could use an upgrade, though -- but I already talked about that in another comment. I guess I just don't really see the point of paying $20k for the truck I already have -- especially when I could trade it for a used Ranger with 4wd, put in a CD player, get it detailed, and have the same thing I'd get from the Ford Dealer. I've been following the Mahindra trucks, though -- their corporate blog is interesting enough that I'll test-drive one if they become available:
http://www.mahindratruckblog.com
I guess all of this is life at Ford.
Stan Peterson 3:17AM (11/11/2009)
The Ford Kuga IS coming to America. But in its original skin. FIAT takes a FIAT 500 and reskins it to produce the Ford Kuga for Ford, as a contract manufacturer.
I can see why Mullaly might think he can't compete with a rebadged FIAT 500 exported from the EU, especially if the 500 is assembled in Mexico. But he is probably correct A-segment sedans may be too small for Americans. What t we drive has been merging with the rest of the world, since the 1970s when there was a distinct and sizable difference. All the American automakers will have representation in the B- segment now; and two of the three will have A-segment offerings as well. Sales of the Chevy Spark and FIAT 500 will prove it one way or the other.
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Mike!!ekiM 10:11AM (11/11/2009)
If FORD isn't building it's portfolio of cars, trucks and SUVs so that America can survive Peak Oil, then he should RESIGN.
That means:
- Building the most efficient trucks and suv's, at the most affordable prices, NOW.
- Turbo-Diesel and Hybrid Trucks are what should be on the market as soon as possible.
- Building a portfolio of small efficient electric cars.
- BLOWING MONEY on an Aluminum Block V8 Mustang, in this environment, is INSANE. Who Funded this project? Exxon?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cif-green/2009/nov/10/peak-oil-fear-economic-establishment
What made this little graph so devastating was that it estimated energy resources by 2030 that were woefully inadequate for the energy-hungry economies of India and China. Business as usual in oil production threatens massive conflict over sharing it.
Now, this all seemed pretty gigantic news to me but guess where the World Energy Outlook chose to put this graph? Was it in the front, was it prominently discussed in the foreword? Did it cause headlines around the world. No, no, no. It was buried deep into the report and no reference was made to it in the press conference a year ago.
The fear is that panicky markets can cause enormous damage – panic-buying that prompts fights over resources, which in turn could lead to power cuts in some places and other such mayhem. But so far in facing this huge challenge, our political/economic system seems unable to cope with reality. We are forced to carry on living in an illusion that we have so much time to adapt to post-oil that we don't even need to be talking or thinking much about what a world without plentiful oil would look like. Reality has become too dangerous.
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