92 PICTURES OF THE 2009 FORD KA

No, no, no North Americans: you can't have it. Ford is talking about the possibility of importing the Ford Ka, a vehicle that's been sold in Mexico before, but just not quite yet.

The new Ka shares much with the popular Fiat 500, another car to which our access is not permitted. In fact, the Ka is built in the same plant as the little Fiat in Tychy, Poland. Ford Motor Company's first Ka had a long life - it was introduced way back in 1996. Since then, the first Ka sold almost 1.5 million copies. 500,000 of those were in the UK alone.

Now there's a new Ka that, again, will usually be purchased with less than 100 horsepower under the hood. A much-desired SportKa derivative will likely be seen in the future with 100 or so horses, and a StreetKa convertible is more than likely. Kas can be had quite basically, but optioning the little Ford with Bluetooth; MP3 capability, and heated seats will be possible.

It's a handsome little critter, styled very much like the Ford Fiesta we will be permitted to purchase. Will it have the character of the first-gen Ka? That remains to be seen; and you should expect to be disappointed. One ought not assume, however, that the Ka won't be a superb automobile for young singles and families on a tight second-car budget. The full gallery of 92 pictures is below.