Microsoft SYNC is the latest in vehicle technology. If you have a smartphone, listen to music, need directions or want to know what your gas mileage is, SYNC can assist you with that! Ford incorporates the SYNC technology into most of its new vehicles, allowing drivers to have a safer and more satisfying experience behind the wheel.

SYNC technology allows vehicle operators to have a “hands free” experience on the road. With SYNC in your vehicle, you can use most functions of your smartphone, control you vehicle’s climate, and even get directions with nothing more than a simple voice command.

Would you like regular updates and health reports on your vehicle? SYNC technology monitors your driving habits, allowing you to drive more efficiently. It also tracks the fluids and engine health of your car. Been a while since an oil change? With SYNC, you get more than a dashboard light; you get visual reminders, audio reports on how well your car has performed since its last oil change, and directions to the nearest auto shop so you can schedule your next service.

Can’t drive without your music? SYNC gives you the ability to connect any mobile or audio device to your vehicle, playing your favorite tunes through the state of the art speaker system. Call up your favorite songs with nothing more than a voice command. You can even connect your SYNC system to your SIRIUS satellite radio, allowing you to surf stations and find whatever tunes you are in the mood for!

Had an accident? With SYNC in your car, an impact triggers the automatic response, alerting the authorities and providing them with the GPS position of your vehicle. With the internal 911 Assist feature, help will be on its way to you as quickly as possible.

On Saturday the 12th, Burd Ford will be hosting a special clinic to update SYNC users on the latest features, and to provide a refresher course for those who haven’t used their systems in a while. If you’d like more information on the clinic or if you want to register, it’s not too late! Register here or follow the link below to the webpage. The Clinic will be from 11am-2pm at Burd Ford, and will be put on by our Vehicle Delivery Specialist, James Berry. The first 10 people to register will be given a door prize, so don’t hesitate! Best of all, the clinic is FREE!

Register here today: http://www.burdford.com/About-Burd-Ford/SYNC-My-Ride

 

Chevy ran a full 1 minute spot during the Super Bowl, depicting the end of the Mayan calendar and the end of civilization as we know it. The problem is, Chevy may have spiked more interest in our legendary Ford F-150 instead of turning eyes on its own Silverado.

Kelley Blue book monitors upticks in traffic and which vehicles customers are most interested in. Surprisingly, after the Chevy ad aired during the game, traffic for the Silverado had a small spike, but dwindled and eventually fell off even lower than it started in the days to come.

Traffic for the F-150 immediately spiked after the commercial and continued to swell in the days to come. The F-150 also saw a higher boost in shopping and purchases during the days following the Super Bowl, while the Silverado lost shoppers at a rate of 25%.

If you want to watch the ad and see why Chevy may have hurt themselves more than helped themselves, click here.

If you want to schedule a test drive in America’s Most Dependable Truck, schedule your test drive in an F-150. Built Ford Tough means a lot to us. Ford is building a legacy of hard work, dedication, and quality, and as always, Burd Ford is proud to be part of that legacy.

Ford has a legacy of greatness. As a division of the larger Ford Corporation, we at Burd Ford are extremely proud to have Ford name associated with this foundation. Ford is continually doing great things to significantly impact the quality of life in the communities they are involved in, and over the past 3 decades they have been a standalone sponsor for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Since the beginning of Ford’s involvement with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in 1983 (formally beginning in 1998 after several years of hosting benefits), Ford has helped grow and improve fundraising efforts in order to raise awareness for the disease and to continue to fight for a cure. Type 1 diabetes is a rampant disease that affects 80 new people per day in the United States – over 30,000 people per year. The affects of this disease cause complications such as kidney failure, blindness, nerve damage, amputations, heart attacks and strokes, and it also causes severe pregnancy complications.

Through dedicated volunteerism by Ford employees, the Ford Company has supported and hosted yearly fundraisers, including book sales, silent auctions, raffles, walks and more to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Since the beginning of Ford’s partnership with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, they have raised over $35 million to support finding a cure.

Ford remains the only corporate sponsor for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. To read more of the case study about Ford’s involvement with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, click here.

The newly popular radio app, iHeartRadio by Clear Channel, offers users more than 800 broadcast and digital radio stations in the US as well as the ability to create custom music stations. Ford is the first car company to tap into this trendy technology by offering voice-command access using its Ford SYNC AppLink, which links to drivers’ smartphones and also enables steering wheel controls. Drivers will also be able to listen to traffic reports based on the GPS locations provided by their phones.

The iHeartRadio app is just one of several new apps using Ford SYNC’s voice control. Another popular app Ford recently announced is Scout, a personal navigator from Telenav which serves as a customizable GPS with real-time traffic updates, music control, and saved destinations. There are currently over 2,500 developers working to create apps for the Ford SYNC AppLink system.

The Ford SYNC AppLink system is available in 10 of the 2012 Ford models as well as the 2011 Ford Fiesta, which was the first model to offer technology. It won the 2011 Edison Silver Award for Transportation In-Car Driving Aid and is compatible with Apple iOS, Android, and Blackberry OS devices.

For more information on the IHeartRadio app, visit http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?rticle_id=35835

A partnership between Ford, Microsoft, Healthrageous, and BlueMetal Architects was revealed at the Digital Health Summit at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show in January. This relationship is researching how technology can be used to assist people with their health needs as they travel.

Ford endeavors to use their Microsoft-produced Ford SYNC program as a platform on which to base this new effort, combining voice-controls with smartphone/tablet-linked applications. The proposed “car that cares” will allow users to share data with the health management system (prototype designed by BlueMetal Architects) as well as collect blood pressure and activity monitor data (courtesy of Healthrageous). Microsoft is working to integrate the voice and touch-screen interface with biometrics from a wearable device. All data will be saved via a cloud which can be analyzed by the user later.

Why is Ford advancing their technology integration efforts into the healthcare field? Research shows that by 2015 there will be over 500 million using mobile healthcare apps. By tapping into these trends, Ford is in a unique position to care for a new market of tech-savvy, health-conscious drivers.

Read more on Ford’s healthcare undertaking.