| TURIN , Italy and COLOGNE , Germany – The next-generation Fiat 500 and Ford Ka will be jointly developed. This follows the announcement that Fiat and Ford are to co-operate on the joint development and production of vehicles in the European small car (sub-B) segment.
This co-development is the next phase in the relationship that has seen the two carmakers jointly working on the development of the new vehicles using the current Fiat Panda platform. The new model will be manufactured in Fiat's existing Tychy facility in Poland , where Ford engineers will contribute to the development of their models. The vehicles will use Fiat powertrains built in Poland and Italy .
"The strategic co-operative agreement with Ford represents another milestone in our strategy that calls for targeted alliances aimed at sharing financial and industrial resources on new products and platforms," said Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat Group and Fiat Auto. "It is consistent with successful ventures, established with major partners including PSA Peugeot Citroën and Suzuki, and current discussions with the Indian group Tata Motors."
Marchionne added: "As far as Fiat is concerned, the partnership with Ford is relevant fourfold: the decision to manufacture the new cars at Tychy is a clear vote of confidence and trust in our Polish plant; the joint development of the new cars bears witness of the flexibility of the highly successful Fiat Panda platform; the alliance represents a win-win industrial opportunity to both parties. Finally, I am pleased to say that the much awaited future Fiat 500 will further enhance our brand identity as it represents both an icon in the history of our company, and of the motor industry."
"We fully intend to replace the Ka with a similarly iconic model," said John Fleming, Ford of Europe president and CEO. "This vehicle will retain the fundamental character of the original and embody key elements of our new 'kinetic' design language." Styling for the Ka replacement will be led by Ford of Europe executive design director Martin Smith.
Fleming added: "Ford of Europe has amassed considerable expertise in the development of small cars, and is recognised for its class-leading driving dynamics. Fiat is the ideal partner for us in this particular project, as it is acknowledged as having been for many years one of the world's leading manufacturers of small cars. The decision to combine forces with Fiat in this highly competitive area gives us the opportunity to minimise unit costs while developing highly competitive products which will be true to our respective brand values."
The new products will come to market in the 2007-08 period. The projected annual volume will be around 240,000 units, divided evenly.
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