Ford · 1981–present

Ford Laser

The Ford Laser is a compact car, originally a subcompact car in the first three generations, which was sold by Ford in Asia, Oceania, and parts of South America and Africa. It has generally been available as a sedan or hatchback, although convertible, wagon and pick-up versions have also been available in different markets. The sedan, and briefly station wagon, versions were badged Ford Laser and Meteor in Australia between 1982 and 1987. The Ford Meteor name was also used in South Africa. The Ford Laser was a restyled version of the Familia/323 models produced by Mazda in Japan from 1980 onwards. Ford had acquired a 25% stake in Mazda in 1979. Platform and assembly-line sharing with the locally produced Mazda Familia in Japan allowed the Laser in that market to be offered with a plethora of engine, paint and trim configurations not available anywhere else in the world. This was most notably evident during the 1980s with multiple turbocharged variants, unique bodyshells such as the cabriolet, and full-time 4WD models all available years before their debuts in other markets (and in some cases, never making it offshore at all). Along with the Japanese produced Ford Telstar and Ford Festiva, the Laser was sold at special Autorama dealerships. In Australia and New Zealand, where Ford was seen as a local brand, the locally assembled Laser outsold its Mazda twin, the 323, especially in Australia, where the 323 was imported. According to research carried out by Ford Australia in 1984, a third of Laser buyers were unaware that the Ford model was based on the Mazda 323. However, in neighbouring Asian markets, such as Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Hong Kong, as well as Japan itself, the reverse was the case, although pooling resources with Mazda allowed Ford to maintain a foothold in the region. This was also the case in South America, South Africa, and the Caribbean, where the Laser was also sold, in many cases being locally assembled.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Ford Escort · Successor: Ford Focus

All Ford Laser data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

First generation (KA/KB; 1981)

=== Laser (KA/KB) === The KA Laser (Australian model code), built under license from Mazda, was introduced in March 1981, replacing the rear-wheel-drive Escort in Australia. The range was available as a hatchback, in both three- and five-door varieties, as well as a four-door sedan badged Ford Meteor. Originally sold only with the 1.3-litre engine, the smaller 1.1-litre engine was never available in Australia. Later, 1.5-litre versions were added, eventually even a turbocharged version. In January 1983, the Laser underwent a facelift to become the KB. Light changes were made to the rear, while the front was redesigned in a more modern style, aligning it with Ford's corporate look of the era. In Japan this is referred to as the "BE" Laser, which was identical to the Australian KB series. The BE model code relates to the BD model code used for the corresponding Familia/323. The first Lasers went on sale in Japan in late 1982. Fuel-injection and a 115 PS turbocharged model were added in July 1983; these variants were never offered for sale outside Japan. Aside from being built in Australia and Japan, Lasers were also assembled in New Zealand at Ford's Wiri plant in Auckland, replacing the Mk2 Escort. In New Zealand, the Laser was sold as both a hatchback and sedan, the Meteor name not being used in that market, and was later joined by the Mazda 323 at the renamed Vehicle Assemblers of New Zealand (VANZ) plant in Wiri, Auckland in a joint venture between Ford New Zealand and Mazda. 323s initially had been assembled at the Motor Industries International plant in Otahuhu, subsequently taken over by Mazda New Zealand. New Zealand-built Ford Laser hatchbacks were available with the 1.1-litre (base and Ritz), 1.3-litre (GL), and 1.5-litre (Sport) engines, while the Laser sedan (

Second generation (BF/KC/KE; 1985)

=== Japan === January 1985 saw the advent of the BF series Laser in Japan. This was the Laser's first major redesign. For the first time a diesel version was offered in Japan, as well as a factory two-door cabriolet with 1.5-litre turbo engine, a 1.6-litre DOHC 16-valve Sport version, and a potent 140 PS DOHC turbo model with full-time 4WD drivetrain (identical to the contemporary Mazda Familia BFMR). AWD models for sedan and wagon/van were also available for sale. This added up to an extremely convoluted Japanese product line, which was later streamlined in 1987 with a mid-life model refresh (KE series in other markets). This refresh dropped E-series engines in favour of all-new B-series equivalents, poorer-selling variants were discontinued, and minor changes were made to exterior styling and interior trim. The commercial van model was available until 1994, sold together with next generation Laser. Australia and New Zealand. For Australia, the range was known as the KC Laser and GC Meteor, launched in October 1985. All body styles were carried over, with the addition of a station wagon (badged as "Meteor", like the sedan) from 1986. A new "TX3" variant, which was at the top of the "Laser" models in specification level and designated "KC2", replaced the "Sport" variant from the KB series. Unlike the Sport, the TX3 was only available as a three-door (the Taiwanese TX3 was available in a five-door version only). The "L" and "GL" models were no longer available as a three-door. A notable change was the introduction of engines capable of running on 91 RON unleaded petrol (this became mandatory in Australia from 1986). The E5 1.5-litre SOHC carburettored engine that was optional on GL, and standard on Ghia in the KB series was replaced with the new B6 1.6-litre I4 SOHC. Fo

Third generation (KF/KH; 1989)

The third generation BG series of 1989 to 1994 went on to be the most popular Laser sold in Japan, with the new "coupé" (liftback) version an instant success. Again, a DOHC turbo model with full-time 4WD was offered as a companion car to the Mazda Familia GT-X, now producing 180 PS (132 kW; 178 hp) from an increased displacement of 1.8 litres. Australia. In Australia, this model was released in March 1990 as the KF series and updated in October 1991 with the KH facelift. Local production of the Laser in Australia ceased on 4 September 1994 when Ford closed its plant in Flemington and replaced it with the new KJ model, which was imported from Japan. New Zealand. In New Zealand, the KH Laser continued in production at Ford's assembly plant in Wiri, Auckland, until the end of 1996 when the factory closed. The extended production model in New Zealand was sold only in five-door hatchback form as either the Laser Encore or Laser Esprit, as a cheaper alternative to the newer KJ Laser imported from Japan. The Encore was the cheaper of the two, available only with a five-speed manual transmission, while the Esprit was slightly higher specification and was available with both the five-speed and also a four-speed automatic. Both featured red pinstriping around the body and many received dealer-fit accessories such as alloy wheels to boost appeal. Taiwan. The third generation Ford Laser was launched in May 1990 in Taiwan, with the additional Chinese name, Golden Laser (金全壘) for the third generation to be sold alongside the updated second generation model exclusively in Taiwan. The second generation models were reduced to a sedan with 5-speed manual transmission or a 3-speed automatic transmission and a station wagon with a 5-speed manual transmission. The third generation Laser was

Fourth generation (KJ/KL/KM; 1994)

=== Japan === The fourth generation Laser was known as the BHA series in Japan. All sporting models were discontinued with the release of this model in the wake of poor sales and financial returns as Mazda scaled back operations and sought to rearrange market focus. Only the sedan and three-door hatchback were sold in Japan, the hatch being based on the Mazda Familia Neo. Australia. The Japanese built KJ Laser in Australia went on sale in October 1994 represented a major change in design; looking very different from the previous KH model. The three-door hatchback was known as the Laser Lynx and the five-door as the Laser Liata. The new KJ Laser was introduced in 1994 with variants, facelifts (KL of December 1996 and KM of December 1997) and engine driveline improvements continuing up until the last of the KM series were released in 1999. The KJ Laser was the first Laser manufactured wholly in Japan, following Ford Australia's decision to close their Flemington plant. However, the KJ was disappointing in sales numbers mainly because of the smaller Festiva and other cheaper South Korean cars from Hyundai, Kia and Daewoo to which many conservative buyers flocked. New Zealand. With the introduction of the KJ Laser in 1994, Ford New Zealand found itself in a unique position, offering three different generations of the Laser as new vehicles at once at its dealerships—the new KJ Laser, the previous-generation KH Laser as a five-door hatchback, and the older-shape KE Laser station wagon. These were assembled at the VANZ factory in Wiri, Auckland until 1997 when Ford NZ discontinued local assembly. The second update KM Laser was not sold in New Zealand. The KL Laser, now replaced in Australia, continued to be sold alongside the European Ford Escort in New Zealand during 1997 b

Fifth generation (KN/KQ; 1999)

Fifth generation "BJ" series models were renamed "Laser Lidea" in Japan in December 1998, with popularity falling even further than the previous model. Japanese production ceased at the end of 2002, to be replaced by the imported Ford Focus, which was already sold there since 2000. Released in Australia in May 1999, the KN Laser was the last generation of the Laser to be introduced. The model range was almost identical to the Mazda 323 on which it was based, which was the first time since the KE Laser. In February 2001, the KN received a minor facelift and became the KQ Laser. The big news with the KQ Laser was the addition of a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine for the new top-spec "SR2", which was also the first sports-oriented Laser variant in almost five years, since the unpopular Laser Lynx was discontinued in 1996. A new "SR" level of trim, which sat below SR2 was also introduced at this time. The KQ can be distinguished from the earlier KN, with a new grille with chrome moulding, new headlights, revised tail lights, different exterior colours, and slightly revised interiors. In March 2002, due to falling sales, Ford made one last attempt to restore the Laser's popularity to its former glory, by announcing minor upgrades to the SR2, and added three new exterior colours to the range, being "Goldrush", "Red Revenge", and "Electric Blue". Three engines were available, a 1.6-litre that was fitted to the LXi, a 1.8-litre that was fitted to the GLXi & SR, and a 2.0-litre that was exclusive to the SR2. Despite the Laser having a good reputation with buyers in the marketplace, and many attempts from Ford to reignite interest in the model, it was unable to sell in reasonable numbers. In September 2002, Ford decided to discontinue the Laser in Australia, replacing it with th

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Specifications

name: Ford Laser
Manufacturer: Ford
aka: Ford Meteor (Australia & South Africa) , Ford Liata/ Ford Aztec/ Ford Activa/ Ford Tierra (Taiwan), Ford Lynx (Philippines/Malaysia)
Production: 1981–2005
Assembly: Taiwan: Taoyuan City (Ford Lio Ho, CKD), Malaysia: Shah Alam, Selangor, Indonesia: Jakarta (IRMC), Vietnam: Hai Duong, Thailand: Rayong (AAT), Australia: Flemington, Japan: Hofu (Mazda), New Zealand: Wiri, Philippines: Santa Rosa, Laguna, Venezuela: Valencia, Colombia: Bogotá, South Africa: Pretoria, Zimbabwe: Willowvale
Class: Subcompact car (1981–1994), Compact car (1994–2005)
Layout: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive, Front-engine, all-wheel-drive
Related: Ford Capri, Ford Escort (Gen 2 & Gen 3 only), Mazda Familia/323, Mercury Capri, Mercury Tracer
Predecessor: Ford Escort
Successor: Ford Focus, Ford Escort (China & Taiwan)