Ford Ka

The model shares its platform with Fiat’s 500, and our spies were alerted to the test car as the newcomer wore t he same disguise – complete with rear porthole windows – as the Italian city runabout.

Thanks to a Fiat/Ford alliance, the models have been developed alongside each other, and with the 500 receiving its official launch on 4 July – and set to go on sale in 2008 – Ford is keen to get the new Ka ready as soon as possible. However, tracking the car has not been an easy task. The headlights and tail-lamps are completely fake, and are designed purely to confuse our spy photographers.

But the giveaway is the tailgate, which even with the heavy plastic disguise, clearly shows the same trademark ‘domed’ shape as the current car. Underneath the cladding lurks an evolution of the Ka’s cheeky lines, and as we revealed in Issue 950, it’s a more muscular look, but one that retains the original’s charm.

Although it shares the Fiat 500’s underpinnings, it will have a longer body, making the new Ka bigger than the current model, with more space inside for four. It is also set to feature hi-tech equipment to help tempt young buyers, with compatibility for MP3 players and Bluetooth phones, plus low-cost satellite navigation.

The new car promises to be sporty to drive, while engines are to include 1.2 and 1.4-litre petrols, with a 1.3-litre turbodiesel also available. On sale in late 2008, the new Ford Ka will be priced from around £7,500.