Ford?s baby attempts a comeback

The smallest Ford of all, the Ka city car, is being primed for an Australian comeback.

The Ka failed when it first came here in the 1990s, but Ford Australia design director Scott Strong believes the time could be right for another run.

“The way the world is turning these days it does highlight that we need to start thinking about more responsible approaches to commuting,” says Strong, who helped design the Ka.

The Ka arrived in Australia in 1999 and, despite strong sales in Britain and Europe, it never hit the spot. Only 5700 were sold in four years before it was dropped.

But the Ka, classified as an 'A-class' car, below the B-sized Fiesta and C-sized Focus, would be welcomed back by Strong, who says a new model is coming soon after a 12-year run for the original design.

“I'd like to see it here,” Strong says. “When it came to Australia I was a bit disappointed it didn't really find as much success as it had in Europe.

Strong says the environmental focus is brightening the spotlight on smaller vehicles.

“Whether we talk about Ka or any other A segment of light vehicles, right now it's more relevant than ever to be talking about smaller cars,” he says.

“I know, for example, that in the US, where for years and years they would contend you couldn't sell anything smaller than a (mid-sized) C segment car. That's no longer the case.”

Strong says that if Australians switched from big sixes and even small cars such as the Focus to Ka-sized light small vehicles, the traffic jams would be half as long, burning much less fuel and belching out much less by way of emissions

“That's a big step forward, isn't it? I think it's part of what the world needs to do,” he says.

“But human nature is that we want to have our cake and eat it, too, and we're pretty clever about making that happen."

“What you'll see happening now is some amazing power trains that are smaller displacement and milk every bit of energy out of a drop of fuel, but deliver the performance that you normally associate with a much larger car.”

He says small cars provide a lot more than just fuel efficiency

“Having led the design of the Ka, and being a small car lover in general, I just love the B-segment size,” he says. “They're fun to drive, easy to park, more sprightly, they've got so much going for them.”