The Auto Writer

North American car buyers who may be considering a kei (city) car over the next few years, won’t be able to include the Ford Ka on that list. The Ka, which comes in smaller than the Fiesta has been deemed too petite for the US and Canadian markets and will therefore not be sold on this side of the Atlantic.

This news comes from Ford Chairman Alan Mulally who made the announcement that the Ka is too small for our tastes which seems a bit odd given that it shares the same platform as the Fiat 500, a model which will be imported in 2011 and sold by Chrysler. All the same, Ford believes that the Europeanized Focus as well as the smaller Fiesta will fill a glaring hole in the Ford line up, vehicles which will go on sale next year as 2011 models.

No Ford Ranger

In addition to the Ka, Ford has indicated that the global Ranger platform currently being built in Thailand and sold in more than 130 countries won’t make its way to the United States either. Ford plans on building its US spec Ranger for another year, but there won’t be a replacement model available unless the automaker reverses course and brings in the international Ranger.

In 2008, Ford promised to bring as many as six European designed models to the US market as gas priced edged up toward and past $4 per gallon. By May 2008, car buyers were abandoning big trucks and SUVs, trying to get their hands on everything and anything that was cheap and fuel efficient. Among the Ford models to see a sales spike was the Focus, which was also the beneficiary of a nifty SYNC hands-free calling and music system.

Five Alive?

The first European model to show up on our shores is the Transit Connect, a compact minivan useful for families and small businesses. Next year the Fiesta and Focus will debut followed by the C-MAX, a compact crossover model. In addition, the Ford Kuga, a compact SUV will be sold here – a vehicle about the size of the Escape and possibly its intended replacement. Thus, five models are accounted for but there is still one to be named later if Ford intends to keep with its plans.

Though it is a matter of speculation, none of the models set to be sold in the US will be marketed as Mercury brand vehicles. Ford says that it plans to keep Mercury alive, which could mean that something along the lines of the S-MAX, a midsize crossover, could do the trick.

Source: Automotive News

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