Ford has just revealed the new Ka Concept in Brazil and it's a far cry from the tortoise-shaped (albeit fun-to-drive) older-generation Ka that South Africans just loved to make fun of.
Instead, the concept car you see here - and which looks remarkably production-ready - is set to spawn Ford's next-generation global compact car for emerging markets.
According to IndianAutosBlog, this Brazilian Ka will also become the 2015 Ford Figo, which will inevitably make its way to South Africa to fight in the hotly contested entry level ring.
Rather than pushing the price out of reach of its target market with advanced new technology, the new Ka/Figo will reportedly use recycled mechanicals - fitting atop a modified version of the solid platform of the previous Fiesta, which also underpins the current Figo.
FRESH STYLE
Yet while today’s Figo is little more than a facelifted previous Fiesta, the new hatch enters the modern age with completely fresh sheet metal. Like the latest batch of Fords, the Ka concept has an Aston Martin-inspired face and a wedge-shaped side profile that leads into a conservatively-styled rear end.
Our sources report that the next Figo will be fitted with a 1.5-litre turbodiesel engine and the latest 1-litre EcoBoost turbopetrol, although it's almost certain that lower-priced models will get a more old-fashioned petrol option.
The new Figo is set to go on sale in India at the tail end of 2014, and given that our cars are sourced from there, a local launch during the first half of 2015 seems plausible enough.