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News of June 19, 2002

Ka Wins New Customers For Ford On Its Way To One Million

David Thursfield (2nd from left)

Photo: Ford

COLOGNE, GERMANY - The millionth Ford Ka to be produced in Europe rolled off the assembly line at the Valencia assembly plant in Spain today.

From the moment it was launched at the Paris Motor Show six years ago, Ford Ka's timeless good looks have been turning heads and winning new customers for the Ford brand. The stylish sub-B offering continues to lure drivers away from non-Ford brands. A full 65% of new Ka customers did not own a Ford prior to purchasing their Ka. This is the highest conquest rate in the current Ford line-up.

Ka pioneered New Edge design and heralded the beginning of Ford's commitment to produce dependable, stylish and fun-to-drive cars. The result was a completely new kind of Ford that has inspired customers, artists.

With its modern and distinctive interior, a sense of spaciousness unusual in a car this size, and ingenious stowage solutions, Ka has captured the hearts of drivers, and especially female drivers, across Europe. Easy to park and load, Ka is particularly popular with busy city dwellers. With its eye-catching exterior design, a responsive, fun-to-drive and economical powertrain, it is easy to see why Ford Ka elicits devotion among owners. There are now Ford Ka Clubs in the UK, Turkey, Japan and The Netherlands.

Ford Ka has won various awards since launch. Among them three major international awards for design: the American Industrial Design Excellence Award, the European Award for Auto Design and the "Golden Marker" awarded from the Japanese magazine Car Styling. It was voted "Best Budget Car" that year by the British automobile magazine What Car, and has gone on to win the award for six years running.

In 1997, over 60,000 Ford Ka units were sold in Germany alone and by 1998 new Ford Ka sales represented 27% of the Sub-B segment in Europe's biggest market. Ford Ka sales in the United Kingdom have continued to climb since launch, and by April of this year Ka held a segment share of 38.8%. Nearly 136,000 Ka models were sold in the five major European markets in 2001.

(June 17, 2002)

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