17 May 06
Ten years on, and with its replacement (a version of a model co-developed with Fiat's modern-day 500, due 2008) on the way, what will the Ka be remembered for?
'At the time it was quite ground-breaking and very different from anything else,' says Andrea Cooper, head of design knowledge at the Design Council. 'Certainly, for a small car it holds the ground pretty well in terms of having weight and substance. Although tastes have moved on, with people preferring much higher seating positions, I think it does give a sense of a small car with decent handling, road presence and safety despite its scale.
'The Ka is much more about simplicity and that pre-empted design across all areas, including product design and things like the iPod. Actually, I think a parallel can be seen between the Ka and the iPod: when the iPod came out, perceived wisdom stated that the public just wouldn't wear white headphones, whereas now that's become such an iconic and distinctive feature.
'Public taste does move and it's always a challenge for design to be that one step ahead, to raise standards and exceed the expectations of people's imaginations - in particular, going beyond what people think they want, which is always the risk with a design leadership strategy like the Ka.
'A big part of it is that it's got character and that they built in so many qualities which weren't incorporated in previous small cars. New Edge was a real turning point from the previous, very rounded "jellybean" aesthetic. It was important in terms of bringing back some of the sculpting elements: cars are all about lines and light on surfaces and New Edge brought back definition.
'If you look at the BMW Mini and the two-tone elements of the Smart, they're both reminiscent of the two-tone, chunky and, in some ways, toy-like aesthetic that came out with the Ka. The fact that the design has that sense of solidity, even though it is such a small car, makes it universally appealing.'
