Ford Chief Executive Alan Mulally said increased demand for small cars has led the automaker to revisit its decision not to bring the tiny European Ka model to the United States.

Mulally said on Detroit radio station WJR's "Paul W. Smith Show" Monday that Ford is assessing the Ka now, and that a lot of people share the opinion that Ford Motor Co. should bring it to the U.S.

A new version of the Ka was unveiled last week at the Paris Motor Show. It will be launched in major European markets by late this year or early 2009.

The Ka is far smaller than the Focus, which currently is Dearborn-based Ford's only U.S. compact car. Focus sales are up 24 percent through September.

The new Ka is the result of a joint vehicle development and production co-operation agreement between Ford and Fiat, and is built in Tychy, Poland. In total, Ka production has exceeded 1.4 million vehicles since the car was first unveiled at the 1996 Paris Motor Show.

The new Ka will also feature from November in the highly anticipated new James Bond adventure, "Quantum of Solace."