Ford SYNC to Debut in Europe This Year on All-New B-MAX

• B-MAX debuts Ford voice-activated in-car connectivity system SYNC in Europe
• SYNC features Emergency Assistance, which enables SYNC to help occupants place a call to the emergency services directly in the event of an accident
• Ford targets 13 million worldwide SYNC customers by 2015 and 3.5 million in Europe, with the system already installed in 4 million cars in the U.S.

AACHEN, Germany, May 3, 2012 – The B-MAX will be the first vehicle in Europe to feature SYNC, Ford’s voice-activated in-car connectivity system.

SYNC already features on 4 million cars in the U.S., and its introduction to Europe in one of the most affordable vehicles in Ford’s European range will help take the company a significant step towards its target of 13 million SYNC customers by 2015. In total, Ford expects to have more than 3.5 million SYNC-enabled vehicles on the roads of Europe by 2015.

“The all-new Ford B-MAX is at the forefront of Ford’s plans to deliver SYNC to customers in Europe for the first time, and is the perfect vehicle for the job,” saidStephen Odell, chairman and CEO, Ford of Europe. 
 
Ford’s Emergency Assistance feature is designed to help the occupants alert local emergency service operators after an accident, in the correct language for the region, and is the most advanced system of its type. It will be available in more than 30 countries across Europe and beyond.

During the development of the Emergency Assistance feature Ford consulted a number of organisations, including the European Emergency Number Association (the EENA), gaining valuable input into the system design. The EENA aims to ensure a consistently high level of response to 112 emergency number calls across Europe. 

“We are pleased that Ford has consulted with the EENA and European emergency call centres in the development of the Emergency Assistance feature,” said Gary Machado, executive director of the EENA.

“We are confident that solutions enabling vehicles to be connected to emergency call centres will contribute to saving lives in Europe.”

The activation of an airbag or the vehicle’s emergency fuel pump shut-off prompts the vehicle to initiate an emergency call, using a pre-recorded message, through the occupant’s Bluetooth connected mobile phone. The message is transmitted in the appropriate local language based on the GPS coordinates of the vehicle.

“Ford’s Emergency Assistance feature will deliver significant additional peace-of-mind to B-MAX customers,” said Paul Mascarenas, Ford’s chief technical officer and vice president, Research and Innovation. “It will also do so at no extra cost to the user for the lifetime of the vehicle and without requiring a subscription or registration, unlike competitor systems.”

SYNC can also read aloud incoming SMS text messages from compatible mobile phones. It works with a variety of digital music players, including iPod and USB flash drives. The system automatically updates phonebook entries, while audio files can be browsed by genre, artist, album, song and playlist using simple voice commands. The USB port also enables the implementation of software upgrades for future enhancements and features.

Developed in association with speech technology specialist Nuance, SYNC will initially support UK English, EU French, EU Spanish, EU Portuguese, German, Italian, Turkish, Dutch and Russian; with users able to issue instructions such as “call (contact name)” or “play artist (artist name)”.

SYNC and Emergency Assistance are just two highlights of the class-leading technology package which will be available on the B-MAX. It will also include Ford’s Active City Stop system, which is designed to help motorists avoid low speed collisions with stationary or slower-moving traffic in front, and Hill Start Assist, which helps keep the car from rolling backward after the driver has come to a stop on a slope or hill and Rear View Camera.

The Ford B-MAX debuted at the 2012 Mobile World Congress, Barcelona, in March and will go on sale later in the year.

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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 164,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.

Ford of Europe is responsible for producing, selling and servicing Ford brand vehicles in 51 individual markets and employs approximately 66,000 employees. In addition to Ford Motor Credit Company, Ford of Europe operations include Ford Customer Service Division and 22 manufacturing facilities, including joint ventures. The first Ford cars were shipped to Europe in 1903 – the same year Ford Motor Company was founded. European production started in 1911.