Ford on Sept. 25 launched production of its new Ka compact model car in southern Poland. The company is spending $310 million to produce 120,000 Ka cars annually at a Fiat-owned plant in Tychy, creating 1,000 assembly line jobs.
Three years ago, Ford and Fiat agreed to share the Tychy plant to produce both the new Ka and Fiat's revamped Fiat 500, the company's iconic compact. The two models share some parts.
The new Ka will be officially unveiled at the Paris Motor show 4-19 October and go on sale in 2009, replacing the model produced in Valencia, Spain, for the past 12 years.
The Ka, with annual global sales of 1.4 million, is the U.S. motor company's leaning small car brand.
Since shedding communism in 1989, Poland has attracted investments by Japan's Toyota and Bridgestone, Germany's Man and GM Opel, among others.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2008
