Ford Motor Company Expands Collaboration with INRIX on Traffic and Routing
Global Partnership Enhances Ford SYNC and Powers Next-Generation Navigation Systems on All Ford, Lincoln and Mercury Vehicles
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7 - Intelligent Transportation Society of
America member INRIX announced at
the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) it will provide Ford Motor
Company with real-time traffic information and enhanced routing for
all Ford vehicles with SYNC. These capabilities enhance the
consumer experience with the award-winning Ford SYNC with Traffic,
Directions and Information (TDI) and extends the time-saving
benefits of INRIX traffic services to include the automaker's other
next-generation navigation systems.
In a CES keynote presentation this morning, Ford announced the
company will become the first automaker to utilize INRIX's
real-time traffic information for 100,000 additional miles of
arterials, city streets and secondary roads to route drivers around
traffic congestion and speed them to their destination. As Ford
builds on the successful foundation of SYNC with the introduction
of MyFord Touch driver connect technology, INRIX's traffic
information continues to drive routing as part of the new system's
Traffic Directions & Information navigation services.
"Our traffic-influenced routing with arterials delivers a
massive breakthrough that offers Ford customers new time saving
options for getting to the important places and events in their
lives," said Bryan Mistele, president and CEO, INRIX. "As consumers
increasingly demand navigation systems that help them avoid traffic
congestion, important advancements like real-time
traffic-influenced routing with arterials help companies like Ford
meet the growing needs of their customers worldwide."
According to a recently published J.D. Power & Associates
study, 80 percent of consumers desire navigation systems that offer
real-time traffic information and the inclusion of real-time
traffic information significantly boosts customer satisfaction with
their in-car navigation system. In the survey's rankings of in-car
navigations systems by manufacturers based on customer
satisfaction, navigation systems offered by Ford Motor Company
collected five of the top 10 spots, including first and second
place.
The new MyFord Touch driver connect technology announced today
at the 2010 International CES is designed to be powerful yet
intuitive for drivers, blending strengths of the most proven
interfaces in consumer electronics - including MP3 players and
mobile phones - with a new generation of Ford's award-winning SYNC
system. MyFord, which will be branded as MyLincoln Touch and
MyMercury Touch on respective Lincoln and Mercury brand products,
redesigns the in-car interface, mirroring how consumers interact
with most devices in their lives using touch-sensitive buttons,
touch screens, thumb-wheel controls and voice recognition.
INRIX's expanded role in Ford Motor Company navigation systems
builds upon announcements made at the 2009 CES where Ford and INRIX
announced Ford SYNC with Traffic, Directions and Information
including personalized voice-enabled traffic reports,
traffic-influenced turn-by-turn directions and route alerts. For
additional information about INRIX traffic services, visit http://www.inrix.com/connectedservices.asp.
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