"Cé hé sin" (michael-m-mouse)
03/19/2015 at 15:51 • Filed to: Poland
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"Cé hé sin" (michael-m-mouse)
03/19/2015 at 15:51 • Filed to: Poland | 0
| 22 |
1. Fiat Panda (substituted previous model because new one's Italian)
2. Fiat 500. Same car as the Panda but less space and more money
3. Opel Astra. Not usually thought of as Polish but they do make some there
4. Ford Ka. Same mechanically as the Panda and 500 but badged as a Ford because they needed a cheap car and had no low cost factory to make one. Ford have given up on it and don't market it anymore.
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Cé hé sin
> Cé hé sin
03/19/2015 at 15:53 |
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I've even found red and white ones, because Poland.
Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
> Cé hé sin
03/19/2015 at 15:55 |
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I fully endorse this list.
dogisbadob
> Cé hé sin
03/19/2015 at 15:57 |
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Our 500 is made in Mexico, and we don't get the Panda at all :(
GM should seriously sell the Astra hatchback over here (currently we only get the sedan which is sold as the Buick Verano)
Hermann
> Cé hé sin
03/19/2015 at 15:57 |
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The Euro Ka is actually a 500? WUT?
I did not know that!
Alex from Toronto
> Cé hé sin
03/19/2015 at 15:58 |
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I really like the 3 door Opel Astra
Steve in Manhattan
> Cé hé sin
03/19/2015 at 16:02 |
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I don't know why they don't sell the Panda and the Astra here in US America. Badge the Astra as an Opel and sell it at Buick dealers, like in the 60s and 70s, or badge it as a Chevy and put it up against the Focus ST.
Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa
> Hermann
03/19/2015 at 16:04 |
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It shares platform, but with Ford engines and transmission, but yeah the Ka is on its last legs. I have seen like 2 of the current generation.
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Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa
> Cé hé sin
03/19/2015 at 16:06 |
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The panda with black bumper is fugly. Still a nice car if you get the 4x4 version.
duurtlang
> Steve in Manhattan
03/19/2015 at 16:12 |
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You can already get both in the US, more or less. The Buick Verano is a slightly modified Astra sedan, the Fiat 500 is based on the Panda.
KirkyV
> Hermann
03/19/2015 at 16:14 |
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The original - and significantly better, rust aside - Ka wasn't, but the 'new' one is. Odd, when you consider the resemblance between the original and the 500.
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Cé hé sin
> Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa
03/19/2015 at 16:18 |
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Actually Ford use Fiat engines and gearboxes. There's very little Ford in the Ka.
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KirkyV
> Steve in Manhattan
03/19/2015 at 16:20 |
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You already get a slightly gussied up saloon version of the Astra as the Buick Verano .
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Hermann
> KirkyV
03/19/2015 at 16:31 |
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The original I knew well. It was a car sold worldwide. But that the current European generation was based on the 500 was quite shocking! I didn't know Ford had some joint venture with fiat to do this. It's very interesting, actually.
Over here the original one got facelifts until it was discontinued in 2009 and then it was updated to this last year under a new platform:
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Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa
> Cé hé sin
03/19/2015 at 16:46 |
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Hmm my local dealer website says that it uses Duratec and Duratorq engines.
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Hermann
> Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa
03/19/2015 at 16:58 |
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I wonder why Ford is doing this. Is there a part of Europe that didn't like the 500 or the Alfa and liked it better as a Ford?
I've seen quite a few current Kas in Italy and Greece last month. So I guess they like it... these places were swarmed with Fiat 500s, Lancia Ypsilons and Ford Kas! So, technically it's all Fiat 500s! Damn! The Alfa wasn't very common, though. So the only cars truly facing the 500 were the Smart and the Mini.
Saoul-Virage
> Cé hé sin
03/19/2015 at 17:01 |
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I think you're wrong on the Fiat Panda, the 3rd generation Panda is now produced in Italy (in an Alfa Romeo plant, but I'm not sure).
The Panda II was produced in Tichy but I don't know if they still assemble it.
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Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa
> Hermann
03/19/2015 at 17:08 |
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Fiat had a history of selling platforms to get some cash, because they are always cash strapped. When you can get somebody else to develop a car for you and then just buy it at a fraction of what you will need to develop it, so Ford did it. The 500 is reasonably popular, but Fiat is loosing ground for a lot of years now. Along with Alfa they need a serious overhaul of their lineup, if they want to stay somewhat competitive.
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Cé hé sin
> Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa
03/19/2015 at 17:16 |
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Yes, Ford use those names but that's a disguise. They're Fiat units.
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Cé hé sin
> Hermann
03/19/2015 at 17:20 |
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Ford wanted a cheap car and the previous idea of basing the Ka on a cut down Fiesta was too expensive. They had to make a car in a low cost country so the Fiat plant in Poland fitted the bill.
Ford could have chosen to design a new model and make it in their plant in Romania but it wasn't thought to be profitable and they didn't want to use the other Ka that they make in Brazil.
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Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa
> Cé hé sin
03/19/2015 at 17:22 |
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If that is true this is a bad case of false advertisement. Still both Ford and Fiat's engines are very nice units.
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Cé hé sin
> Saoul-Virage
03/19/2015 at 17:24 |
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Actually, that's correct. Fiat had to move production back to Italy for political reasons.
Poland makes the related Lancia/Chrysler Ypsilon.
Svend
> Cé hé sin
03/20/2015 at 20:12 |
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The problem with the Ka is they took all the features of the Fiesta and Focus and squashed them down and the result, well, it just looks bad.
