• Ford SYNC™ earned its third award at the International Consumer Electronics Show, this time from the editors of Popular Mechanics magazine
• Ford announced plans at this year’s CES to globalize its SYNC technologies and services, and introduced new features aimed at further growing its in-vehicle connectivity leadership

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 9, 2009 – For the second time, Ford Motor Company’s SYNC in-car communications and entertainment system earned Popular Mechanics’ Editor’s Choice Award for best new products at the International Consumer Electronics Show. The magazine’s technology editors hailed the new features being added to SYNC, now in its second generation, as one of 18 technologies that the editors say “really go above and beyond in terms of excellence and innovation in design and engineering.”

Ford SYNC™ previously won Bluetooth Special Interest Group’s “Best of CES” award at last year’s event and the “People’s Voice Award” upon SYNC’s introduction at 2007 CES. In 2007, SYNC also earned a Popular Mechanics’ Editor’s Choice Award.

SYNC, which Ford developed with Microsoft Corp., allows consumers to connect almost any mobile phone or digital media player with their vehicle (via Bluetooth or USB connection) and seamlessly operate them using voice commands and steering wheel-mounted controls. More than 500,000 SYNC-enabled Ford Motor Company vehicles are on the road today, and the company expects that number to top 1 million this fall.

What’s New with SYNC
Ford announced plans at this week’s CES to globalize its SYNC technologies and services and introduced new features aimed at further growing its in-vehicle connectivity leadership.

“No one in the automotive industry offers this level of connectivity as simply and affordably as Ford,” said Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally, who delivered his first keynote address at CES Thursday. “Our SYNC platform links customers from their vehicles to their hand-held devices to the internet – a level of connectivity that will continue to expand as we integrate new and emerging applications from our industry-leading partners.”

Mulally, along with Derrick Kuzak, group vice president of Global Product Development, and top members of Ford’s Connected Services team, announced a new set of SYNC services that leverage industry-leading voice-recognition software, integrated GPS technology and a customer’s Bluetooth-capable mobile phone to deliver personalized traffic reports, precise turn-by-turn driving directions and up-to-date information including business listings, news, sports and weather – without the need for a built-in navigation system.

Launching this summer, SYNC with Traffic, Directions and Information allows customers to move seamlessly between their home, car and office, staying connected wherever they go. The new service will be available on all 2010 model-year, SYNC-equipped Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models with no monthly subscription fees for the first three years.

Ford SYNC is the industry’s first system to seamlessly integrate a variety of technologies to provide emergency, diagnostic and information services as well as traffic reports and directions on the road. They include: on-board text-to-speech engine, a customer’s mobile phone and network, data-over-voice technology, an off-board routing engine and voice portal, text messaging, an existing mobile application and the power of the Internet.

The new services will be available on nearly all 2010 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models with no initial monthly subscription fees, thanks to three years of service included with a new vehicle purchase.

“Our goal is to lead the industry into a new era of in-vehicle connectivity,” Kuzak said. “Using a SYNC platform that is more capable than ever before, we are taking ideas from technology companies and bringing them into the vehicle. The power of the partnership really knows no bounds.”

###

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 224,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company's core and affiliated automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo and Mazda. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.