From the official Press Release:

With the introduction of all-new Ka, presented at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, Ford has extended its kinetic design language to the smallest model in its passenger car range.

The range of engines includes a 1.2-litre 69PS Duratec gasoline unit and a 1.3-litre 75PS TDCi unit.

Martin Smith, Ford of Europe Executive Director Design explains: “The original Ka is considered to be a style icon, so replacing it was an exciting challenge for the design team.

"We applied our latest kinetic design philosophy and set about creating a contemporary city car that captured the bold and fun spirit of the original.

"The result is a modern and stylish design, with a distinctly cheeky character, that will extend the appeal of the Ka to a new generation of small car buyers.”

Exterior Design

The new vehicle has modern appearance which combines Ford’s latest design thinking with the youthful and cheeky spirit of the original Ka.

The all-new Ka has the same compact proportions as its predecessor but with a chunky and expressive style all of its own.

A number of visual cues from the original vehicle ensure the new design is clearly a Ka yet it has the dynamic qualities which mark it out as a member of the kinetic design family.

A primary objective for the design was to maintain the friendly and fun character of the original Ka and graphic elements are combined at the front and rear to create an identifiable face for the vehicle.

At the front, the prominent trapezoidal lower grille – a key kinetic design feature – forms the Ka’s 'mouth', while the large swept back headlamps are its expressive 'eyes'; the button 'nose' is provided by a large Ford oval above the grille. Together these elements give the all-new Ka a welcoming, smiling face.

A similar approach is taken at the rear. Here, the bold tail lamps form wide, open eyes, the tailgate handle effectively becomes the nose, and the bumper – with a trapezoid set into its centre – represents the mouth.

Kinetic design elements

While its distinctive face and chunky proportions give the all-new Ka its own personality, the vehicle embodies elements of the same kinetic design form language already seen in recent Ford products such as the Mondeo, Kuga and Fiesta.

With full surfaces spanning taut, dynamic feature lines and a confident, athletic stance, the design of the all-new Ka sends a clear message about the vehicle’s excellent driving dynamics.

Important elements of the kinetic design language featured on the vehicle include bold wheel lips, wide rocker panels and strong shoulders supported by a spear-shaped undercut line which sweeps up through the door handles towards the rear lamps.

The characteristic shape of the kinetic design window line – the 'daylight opening graphic' – is also featured, although in this case the shape has been adapted to incorporate the bold window graphic from the previous Ka, with its distinctive curve of glass at the C pillar.

At the rear, kinetic design graphics, such as the tailgate glass with chamfered lower corners, are combined with some other powerful visual cues from the original Ka. 

These include the softly curving shape of the tailgate and the sculpted shape of the roof with a spoiler integrated into its trailing edge.

The range of exterior colours includes a number of bold solid and metallic hues which are unique to the Ka, and which are in tune with the car’s fashion-driven target audience.

The colour palette was developed around a series of pastel shades and also features two striking pearlescent colours: the sparkling white 'Piste' and the luscious magenta 'Blush'.

Interior Design

For Ka Digital Art - Interior

The interior of the all-new Ka has a stylish, dynamic design, just like the exterior.

Bold contrasts and expressive colours have been deliberately chosen to reflect the more adventurous tastes of the typical Ka customer.

These are combined with some distinctive design details to give the interior a fashionable and fun personality which is unusual in the small car segment.

The all-new Ka is practical too, with generous interior space and comfortable accommodation for four adults. The high seating position, carefully placed controls and excellent visibility are combined with a number of storages for iPod, mobile phones, coins and sunglasses.

The kinetic design approach is reflected in the contoured forms, strong dynamic lines and full surfaces of the interior.

The upper instrument panel has a slim, wing-like section and flows into the centre console with its bold graphic elements and distinctive Ka badge.

Ford Ka Grand Prix - Interior

Strong trapezoidal shapes are incorporated throughout the interior as a recurring design theme, featuring on the centre console, steering wheel, seat fabric and door trim.

The most striking aspect of the design is the glossy white finish of the centre console bezel and door pulls.

This finish provides a strong contrast to the surrounding interior trim and is an interpretation of the modern materials used in many popular consumer items.

On Zetec models the treatment is extended to the instrument cluster shroud and steering wheel spokes, and the parts have a stylish pearlescent white colour.

Design details, some with an almost cartoon-like quality, add to the personality of the interior.  Features like the distinctive, exposed instrument cluster surround complement the attractive contouring at the top of the centre console.

The simple swivelling air vents are a prominent feature of the dash panel. Shaped like the top of a juice squeezer, they can be held much like a bowling ball to adjust their direction.

The bold use of colour and contrast extends to the wide choice of interior trims and fabrics.  Two interior environment colours are available – a dark blue-grey and a lighter khaki colour – complemented by a broad range of seat designs tailored to match both the interior environment and the different exterior colours.

The seats feature bright fabric inserts using contrasting colours, including some vibrant shades. Studio, Style and Style + models have patterned inserts using contemporary graphics; the Zetec series uses plain colours to emphasise the strong contrast with the other interior finishes.

This attention to detail is extended to the quality and texture of the materials used throughout the cabin. The main upper instrument panel moulding has a surface texture which simulates a natural fabric like linen, while the material is specially designed to retain its attractive matt finish throughout the vehicle's lifespan. Trim gaps have been minimised in all places to reinforce the impression that the interior belongs to a much more expensive vehicle.

Vehicle personalisation

The target audience for the all-new Ka enjoys making bold, personal statements through their choice of vehicle, so a major effort was put in to developing a series of fresh and colourful personalisation options which allow unprecedented freedom of expression.

For the launch, Ford has introduced a series of factory-fitted “Ford Individual” option packs with combination of interior and exterior design treatments based on three different themes.

Each pack is designed to complement a specific combination of exterior paint colours. The interior and exterior packs can be ordered separately. The interior packs are available to customers ordering a Zetec model.

The three “Individual” themes are:

Digital Art

With vibrant designs in a ‘street fashion’ style, using a fresh, high-contrast green as the base colour. The exterior pack features patterned body stripes and solid green grille surround and door mirror cappings.

The interior pack includes seats with patterned inserts and green headrests, green door panels, and a solid green finish to the centre console bezel, door pulls, instrument cluster shroud, steering wheel and the rings around the air vents.

Finishing touches include a gear knob and handbrake handle combining green leather with an aluminium finish, and velour floor mats with green stitching.

Grand Prix

An exciting motorsports theme with a chequered flag motif based on either a red or white exterior colour scheme. The exterior pack comprises patterned body stripes with solid colour grille surround and door mirror cappings, and can be combined with a rear spoiler and white alloy wheels.

The interior pack features red seats with an embossed white pattern and white headrests, red door panels and red leather trim on the steering wheel. A gear knob and handbrake handle combining red leather with an aluminium finish, and velour floor mats with red stitching complete the package.

Tattoo

A fashionable and fun tattoo design with a heart at its centre, created in bold metallic colours. The exterior pack includes a large decal of the tattoo logo on the roof and a smaller decal on the fender.

The interior pack features seats with silver-grey fabric inserts and the tattoo logo embossed on the backrest, silver-grey headrests and door panels, and anthracite leather trim on the steering wheel.

Velour floor mats with silver stitching and embroidered tattoo emblem round things off, along with a gear knob and handbrake handle combining anthracite leather with an aluminium finish. There is also a unique leather seat option which has a special metallic finish on the insert panels and an embossed tattoo emblem.

(Source: Ford)