In a digital world that bombards us with pings, buzzers and alerts, the Ford Vehicle Harmony group ensures that important vehicle chimes break through the clutter and get noticed.

The unspoken language of chimes plays a key role in communicating traffic conditions and vehicle status to drivers while keeping their eyes forward and hands on the wheel. To build this language, the team must find the right balance of frequency, volume, cadence and tone match the urgency of the message being conveyed.

According to engineer Sean DeGennaro, the group focuses on two chime types: chimes that admonish and chimes that collaborate. This approach has led to a pallet of about 30 unique vehicle sounds, from the warm “tic-tock” of the turn signal and the sophisticated chord of SYNC 3 to the sharper sounds of the cross-traffic alert and forward collision warning.

DeGennaro also notes that beyond the messages being communicated, the chimes must capture the spirit of the Ford brand. To him and the team, a successful sonic signal “becomes implanted in the driver’s brain, and it becomes core to the vehicle’s DNA.”