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Friday, 4 January, 2008 12:20 PM
Ford Showcases Future of In-Car
Satellite Communications at International CES 2008
Popular
Ford SYNC system upgrades and other new in-car communications technologies
to be unveiled at consumer electronics show on Sunday
DEARBORN, Mich.
-- Building
on the success of SYNC, Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) unveils
the next generation of in-car communications at the International
CES on
Sunday.
The company will announce
what comes next for SYNC - developed in
partnership with Microsoft - as well as introduce International
CES
attendees to Ford's new SIRIUS Travel Link(TM) navigation system.
"Ford's goal is
to deliver the smart, connected in-car experience that
customers today demand and to lead the industry into a new era of
in-vehicle connectivity," says Derrick Kuzak, Ford's group
vice president
of Global Product Development, who will attend the International
CES, the
world's largest consumer trade event and showcase for new technologies.
"Ford is answering
the call with the best technology solutions from
companies like Microsoft and SIRIUS, connecting customers with mobile
devices, important information they need on the road and bringing
the
experience to life with the latest in navigation technology and
branded
audio," Kuzak adds.
SYNC is one of the rising
stars in the auto industry today and is on
track to reach 1 million sales in early 2009. SYNC connects people
and
their favorite portable devices while in the vehicle, including
media
players and Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones.
In addition to new SYNC
features to be revealed at the International
CES, Ford has confirmed that nearly every new Ford, Lincoln and
Mercury
vehicle will be available with SYNC by year end, when approximately
85
percent of company's retail volume will be offered with SYNC - including
its Bluetooth connectivity.
Ford SIRIUS Travel
Link(TM) navigation system
At the International
CES, Ford also will announce it is moving in-car
connectivity further forward with the launch of a next-generation
navigation system, available for the first time ever with SIRIUS
Travel
Link.
With Travel Link, drivers
and passengers will have access to up-to-the-
minute information and entertainment content through the vehicle's
navigation system. This includes: current gas prices from an estimated
120,000 filling stations; local, real-time traffic information for
78
markets; coast-to-coast weather conditions with five-day forecasts;
sports
scores, and movie listings.
Travel Link works through
the existing SIRIUS satellite and repeater
infrastructure - offering uninterrupted, coast-to-coast coverage.
Specifically, the Ford SIRIUS Travel Link system provides information
on:
- Traffic Data: SIRIUS
Travel Link combines real-time traffic speed and
flow data with accident and incident information to allow the
user to
navigate around congested areas.
- Weather: SIRIUS Travel
Link shows coast-to-coast weather data, current
conditions and five-day forecasts, detailed storm cell information,
hurricane and tropical storm tracking, local wind speeds, and
even ski
resort conditions.
- Fuel Prices: Drawing
on information from more than 120,000 gas
stations, SIRIUS Travel Link sorts fuel options by price, distance
or
alphabetically. If requested, the navigation system can route
users to
the gasoline station with the lowest fuel price.
- Sports: No matter
your passion - NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NASCAR, NCAAF,
NCAAB, and golf - SIRIUS Travel Link provides scores and schedules
and
can be personalized for the user's selected teams.
- Movies: With listings
from more than 4,500 movie theaters, SIRIUS
Travel Link helps consumers plan ahead by providing movie times,
theater addresses, ratings and run lengths. Using the Ford navigation
system, the data can be sorted by distance. If requested, the
navigation system can route users to the selected movie theater.
"Having this information
in a car is game-changing," said Doug
Wilsterman, SIRIUS senior vice president and general manager for
automotive
OEMs. "This is technology that drivers will use everyday."
When introduced this
summer, the all-new 2009 Lincoln MKS will be one
of the first vehicles with Ford's full suite of new in-car communications
technologies, including Travel Link. The service will be offered
on
multiple Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles by the end of the year.
A six-month introductory
subscription to the SIRIUS Travel Link service
- combined with the SIRIUS Satellite Radio audio service - will
be included
in every Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicle equipped with Ford's
next-generation navigation system.
In-Car Communications
Popularity Soars
American consumers increasingly
expect to stay connected and enjoy
instant access to information, studies show. Approximately 243 million
Americans have mobile phones today and four of every five adults
have
regular access to the internet.
By 2009, trends indicate
there will be as least 250 million portable
media players in use.
A third of U.S. consumers
are very interested in having Internet access
in their vehicles, and the number is close to 50 percent for survey
respondents between the ages of 16 and 25, according to a 2007 J.D.
Power
Automotive Emerging Technologies study.
"Consumers are increasingly
demanding seamless connectivity between
their house and office and car," noted Sheryl Connelly, Ford
Global Trends
and Futuring manager. "They want to be able to access information
'just in
time' or on-demand, because they are used to having access to it
wherever
they go. More than anything, they want to stay connected and informed."
Source: Ford Motor
Company
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