December 15^th, 1999                                         

Ka is on the UK's "Millennium Product" list

Ford’s highly-acclaimed Ka was one of the first Millennium Products to be chosen by the UK Design Council in a nationwide initiative launched by the British Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Tony Blair, MP.

Ka features in the list of 202 pioneering products and services selected by a panel of judges from industry, design and the media as being "forward-thinking, challenging, creative and innovative."

The Ford Ka was commended by the judging panel for its "revolutionary design, incorporating ‘New Edge design’, with an emphasis on economy, safety, recyclability and economical use of materials."

New Edge design is a Ford-conceived design philosophy that takes the smooth sculpted shapes of traditional aerodynamic design and combines them with crisp, clean intersections to produce a more defined precise overall image.

Ka has already won a number of major awards since its launch in 1996, including a gold award from the Industrial Design Society of America and another gold from the leading Japanese automotive design publication, Car Styling.

Millennium Products earn the right to carry a special marque denoting their success. Many of the products will be showcased around the world at trade shows and exhibitions.

Launched on the Australian market last month, Ka is already attracting the same attention it has in markets around the world. "There’s something irresistible about the appeal of Ka that seems universal," says brand manager Stephen Kruk.

"The winning combination of practicality and funky design, as well as overall ease of use in town and outstanding fuel economy mean that Ka is a great choice for city dwellers with a sense of style.

"We expect Ka to be the same success story in Australia that it has been around the world."