Developing the Technologies Customers Want

In the late 90s and early part of this century, Ford struggled with a thorny technological problem. We were able to develop new entertainment and communications devices for our vehicles. But they took years to produce, and were often outdated by the time we brought them to market.

The challenge was finding a faster, more nimble strategy that would allow us to create up-to-date features that could stay current with rapidly evolving technologies. In 2005, a team of Ford engineers set out to develop what was, in essence, a small, flexible personal computer that would enable drivers to stay connected. Software for new features could be developed in days rather than years.

As chance would have it, engineers from Microsoft Corp. were also developing a similar vehicle-based product, but they needed an automobile company as a partner. The ideas matched almost perfectly, and the two companies began collaborating in 2006 on a product that would come to be named SYNC™.

The partnership made perfect sense. We're a car company – not a computer giant. Teaming up with Microsoft allowed us to go beyond what vehicle manufacturers can typically do, delivering a much broader level of compatibility with cell phones, music players and other consumer electronics.

By the same token, Microsoft is a software company – not an automotive product designer. Ford engineers took the smart software solution from Microsoft and used it as a platform to deliver industry-leading integration and usability.

These days, many drivers view in-car connectivity not as an option, but as a must-have. SYNC, which debuted in 2007 and was on track to reach 1 million sales in early 2009, allows drivers to use voice commands for smarter – and safer – communications. The technology seamlessly integrates the Ford vehicle with the popular portable devices of today. Better still, it can be upgraded to support the devices of tomorrow.

The key to SYNC's success lies in its software, which can be quickly readjusted to keep pace with a motorist's shifting technological needs. Prior to SYNC, Ford relied on hardware devices that could take as long as two years to develop. And once the hardware was in the car, it couldn't be changed.

SYNC also benefited from a dramatic improvement in voice recognition software. During the course of SYNC development, voice recognition software soared from a vocabulary of hundreds of words to one of thousands, allowing us to create a system that can read and send text messages, download songs and place telephone calls so drivers can keep hands on wheels and eyes on roads. (See the Vehicle Safety section for more details on the safety features of SYNC.)

At a retail price of $395, SYNC has brought affordable and extraordinary technology to the masses. Competitor systems that use similar technologies are bundled on cars that cost roughly three times as much as Ford vehicles. And the more affordably priced SYNC still does things that the luxury competitors cannot.

At Ford, we're constantly working on software updates to improve SYNC and add on new features that customers want to see implemented. Users simply log on to the SYNC Web site, and download software updates to a USB-drive, which then gets plugged into their vehicle. SYNC owners have given us hundreds of good ideas for improvements and new features. In fact, we have received so many good ones that we can't address them all.

We recently added two new features – 911 Assist and the Vehicle Health Report – and will be offering new capabilities in 2009 that address just some of our customers' requests, including traffic, directions and information. In the future, Ford may open up SYNC development to authorized partners that would create other features to keep up with demand, particularly for niche markets.