CES 2008

Sirius Travel Link offers national weather maps.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

A major part of Ford's new hard-drive-based navigation system and music server will be Sirius Travel Link, a set of services that bring new, live data into the car. Travel Link features live traffic reporting, which shows traffic flow and incidents overlaid on the navigation maps. The data is integrated such that, if your route goes through a congested area, the navigation system will offer to reroute you. Next up is weather information--you can get a variety of different weather displays, from a weather map to temperature and conditions, complete with a forecast. The system lets you see weather conditions for anywhere in the country, and even has a special button to show skiing conditions. The three other services offered in Travel Link are gas prices, so you can find the cheapest nearby station, sports scores, and movie times. With the movie times function, if you have a paired Bluetooth phone, an icon will appear next to a movie you select that lets you a call the theater to order tickets. The first cars from Ford to get the new navigation system with Travel Link will be the Ford Flex and the Lincoln MKS. Looking back at our earlier post about XM's new nav traffic services, the heat is on in the satellite radio market.

This stereo, from a European Ford, uses the Sony look and feel, which will come to U.S. Fords.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

This year, Ford cars will come with Sony-branded audio systems. Car makers have been scrambling to get name-brand audio systems in their cars for a number of years now, but Ford scored a real coup by getting one of the biggest names in consumer electronics on board. Initially, Sony will supply amps and speakers to Ford. At 2008 CES, Sony had one of its OEM amps on display that will go into Ford cars, a 10-channel amp with 8 35 watt powered channels and the capability to do 5.1 surround sound. This amp uses flash memory to store acoustic profiles, designed by Sony, for each specific Ford model. Further down the road, Ford will incorporate the Sony entertainment electronics look and feel in its stereos, using such features as Sony's black-out display. Ford and Sony have been working together for some time. In 2001 and 2005, Ford released special edition versions of the Focus equipped with Sony audio components. Ford of Europe already uses Sony stereos, amps, and speakers.

(Credit: Ford)

Ford made a splash at CES last year with its new Sync system, developed on Microsoft's automotive software. This year, Ford continues its push into CES with an announcement about the next generation of Sync, along with demonstrations of its new navigation system. The new Sync sports two key features: 911 Assist and Vehicle Health Reports. With 911 Assist, Sync can detect when airbags are deployed, in which case it will use a Bluetooth-connected cell phone to automatically place a 911 call. When it makes the call, it plays a brief, prerecorded message, after which the occupants can give details of the accident to the 911 operator. If the occupants are unable to talk, emergency responders can locate the car through cell phone triangulation or GPS, if the phone has a chip. We spoke with Derrick Kuzak, Ford's vice president of Global Product Development, about the new features, and he emphasized that, unlike similar services from OnStar, 911 Assist doesn't require a subscription other than your cell phone service.

Sync's other new feature, Vehicle Health Reports, analyzes the condition of your car, using the canbus port to detect any anomalous engine behavior, much the same way a mechanic would. Once it generates a report, it uses your Bluetooth-connected phone to dial an 800 number and send the data to the Sync Web site (http://www.syncmyride.com). Once uploaded, you can look for issues and recommended maintenance. Both new features will be available later this year. Ford's Kuzak pointed out that these new features are software upgrades, so people who buy Sync-equipped cars before the new features are available can just bring their cars to a dealer and get an update.