Friday, June 6, 2008
Ford Ikon. This name may not be very known by European or North American readers, but ask a Mexican or an Indian car buyer about it and he/she will surely know this is the sedan version of the fourth generation Fiesta (the most recent is the sixth). Well, Ikon is still for sale in India and, as the Indian magazine Overdrive stated, it is in desperate need for changes. The same magazine was the first one to state the Ikon replacement would be a small sedan based on the Brazilian Ford Ka.
The new sedan will be sold in India by September, according to Overdrive, and will reach other markets. Brazil is a sure destination, once it will probably be made in the South American country, more specifically at the Sao Bernardo do Campo plant, already in charge for Ford Ka production and also in desperate need of more products. Small sedans are very popular in Brazil, what makes the Ka Sedan (the name the car may receive there) a natural choice. Low investment figures for the development of this version are also something Ford has surely taken into consideration. As we have already said, Ford has confirmed the sixth generation of Fiesta will be made in Mexico.
Brazil has a free trade agreement with this country, what allows them to exchange vehicles with no import taxes. The new Fiesta tends to be very popular in Brazil and the Ka Sedan/Ikon could also succeed with the Mexican public. Nothing seems more obvious than the swap of new Fiesta units for Ka Sedan vehicles and vice-versa. Even the date when both are expected to start production, in 2010, proves this would be a perfect cost-cutting combination, or, in other words, the best way to maximize resources and production.
Via WorldCarFans > Ford to sell Ka sedan in emerging markets