What you are seeing here is the refreshed previous generation Ford Ka Latin America gets this year. The current generation KA is a completely different car. It is built on the Fiat 500 platform and is manufactured by Fiat in Poland with different body panels, improved suspension and mildly different interiors. Both should not be confused.
The Latin America KA you see here is only available in 3-door and we don't know if rear doors, mandatory for any segment in India, can be provided without making overhauls to the body structure. Even compact hatchbacks in India are chauffeur driven in India and what's worse than selling a car that has a door only for the driver. Many Indians travel with relatives in the rear seat. These are elders who might find it severely uncomfortable to squeeze between the driver seat and B-Pillar during ingress.
The KA is the only car we can find in the global Ford portfolio that is smaller than the Fiesta. A top Ford India official during the media preview of the Fiesta told IAB that it will be "mostly hatchbacks in those 8 different products" by mid-decade in India.
We're certainly going to see one hatchback above the Figo and one right below it. Another top Ford official who spoke to us at the launch of the Fiesta Classic in early April said they are aware that the best selling cars in India have been around for a very long time and the Indian market is forgiving to them even though they are outdated. Proven history is what drives sales well beyond the product's actual lifecycle.
He refused to speak any further on the sub-Figo car but said upcoming products will be global products.
The 2012 KA for Brazil has been refreshed making it seem like a mini Figo. The front-end is very close to the Figo's and interior bits such as the gear level, audio system, AC vents and hand brake are lifted from the Figo parts bin. It comes with 1.0- and 1.6-liter engines. If produced in India, the 1.0 3cyl Ecoboost with fuel economy easily surpassing 20kpl, will be the ideal choice of powertrain.
[Source - Revista.Autoesporte.globo.com]
