Ford KA going to the U.S.?

The Ford KA could be marketed in the US if Fiat starts to make the 500 in Mexico

The Ford KA could be marketed in the US if Fiat starts to make the Fiat 500 in Mexico

Ford has done well to keep its head above water when all around are drowning (to paraphrase Kipling – Rudyard, not Mr!). It has managed to survive without going cap in hand to the US government, and this has reflected well on Ford, who are now held in far greater esteem by US car buyers than either GM or Chrysler.

But it has long been claimed that the major dismantling of any of the big 3 in the US would have devastating consequences for the remaining car makers, mainly because of the loss of many parts suppliers and the loss of the economies of scale the buying power of the big three US car makers combined supplies. But it looks like Ford may reap a real benefit from the Fiat Chrysler Alliance.

As we mentioned when we tested the Ford Ka in January, the KA and the Fiat 500 are more than just similar sized city cars. Under the skin they are one and the same. In fact, they are even made in the same factory by Fiat. Drive one, and you’d have no problem finding you way round the controls of the other. True, their characters are different. The Fiat is soft and cutesy, whilst the Ford KA is modern, stylish and fun to drive, with great driving dynamics.

Bit if the rumours are true that Fiat are to start making Fiat 500s at the Chrysler plant in Toluca, Mexico, then it could give Ford a very cost-effective way of taking their little super-mini Stateside. They are already laying the foundations for the Fiesta in the US, and the way things are going, even if fuel is relatively cheap again at the moment, there is potentially a huge market in North America for the Ford KA, particularly if Americans living in big cities start to see just how much sense a fun little car like the KA can be for urban flitting.

The downturn in the economy could well be the best things that has happened to Ford since the Model T!