USA - Ford launches third Generation SYNC® 3, faster, better and more intuitive.http://www.newspressusa.com/downloads/mediumQuality/271317/FordSYNC3_13.jpg

• SYNC^® 3 – Ford’s new communications and entertainment system – features faster performance, more conversational voice recognition, a more intuitive smartphone-like touch screen and easier-to-understand graphical interface to help Ford customers connect and control their smartphone on the road 
• Also new: seamless integration of AppLink^™ for a simple way to control smartphone apps, the addition of Siri Eyes-Free capability for iPhone users, over-the-air software updates using Wi-Fi, and enhanced 911 Assist^® that provides subscription-free emergency calling in the event of a significant accident

Ford today introduced SYNC^® 3, a new communications and entertainment system that is faster, more intuitive and easier to use with enhanced response to driver commands.

SYNC 3’s more conversational voice recognition technology, a more smartphone-like touch screen and easy-to-read graphics will help millions of drivers connect with their lives and control their smartphone while on the road.

The next-generation system builds on the capability of SYNC technology already in more than 10 million SYNC-equipped vehicles on the road globally. SYNC 3 begins arriving on new vehicles next year.

“Ford is delivering an easier way for customers to stay connected,” said Raj Nair, Ford chief technical officer and group vice president, Global Product Development. “SYNC 3 is another step forward in delivering connectivity features customers most want, and they tell us this kind of technology is an important part of their decision to buy our vehicles.”

Ford took a customer-centric approach in developing SYNC 3, drawing on 22,000 customer comments and suggestions, plus insights gleaned from research clinics, market surveys and tech industry benchmarking.

Intuitive interface

Although SYNC 3 is optimized for hands-free use, an all-new touch screen delivers an experience similar to a smartphone or tablet.

Quicker response to touch as well as voice commands and smartphone-like gestures including pinch-to-zoom and swipe are central to SYNC 3, along with crisp, modern graphics.

A bright background and large buttons with high-contrast fonts for daytime use help reduce screen washout in the sun. At night, the display automatically switches to a dark background to help reduce eye fatigue and minimize reflections on the windows.

“We considered all the modern smartphones and mobile operating systems and created something familiar but unique,” said Parrish Hanna, Ford global director of Human Machine Interface.

SYNC 3 reduces on-screen complexity and prioritizes the control options customers use most.

The home screen features three zone choices – Navigation, Audio and Phone. Tile-like icons dominate the screen, with a quick access function tray along the bottom making for a more straight-forward user experience.

Phone contacts are searchable via a simple swipe of the finger to scroll through the alphabet. With “One Box Search,” SYNC 3 users can look up points of interest or enter addresses in much the same way they use an Internet search engine.

“Simplicity has value,” said Hanna. “Reducing the number of things on-screen also makes control easier and is designed to limit the number of times a driver has to glance at the screen.”

Easy-to-use voice recognition

Ford SYNC – the industry’s first system to widely and most affordably offer voice-activated technology to control smartphones – becomes more capable with the next-generation system by minimizing the number of steps needed to carry out a command.

With SYNC 3, simply saying “play <song, artist, album or genre>” prompts the system to play the desired song, artist, playlist or album; there is no need to identify the desired category. To switch back to a radio station, the user just says the name of the SiriusXM station or terrestrial radio station number.

Voice search results are enhanced by a better understanding of how consumers refer to businesses and points of interest. Drivers don’t have to know an exact name. They can search for “Detroit Airport” rather than using the official name “Detroit Metropolitan Airport.” With addresses, they can say, “Eleven Twenty-Five Main Street” instead of “One One Two Five Main Street.”

When connected to an Apple iPhone, SYNC 3 offers seamless integration of Siri Eyes-Free control. Drivers can seek Siri’s help by holding down SYNC’s “Push to Talk” steering wheel button – much as they would hold down the button on an iPhone to initiate a Siri session.

Innovative features

Ford was first to bring voice control to in-vehicle apps with AppLink^™, and the experience is further improved with SYNC 3.

AppLink allows customers to connect their smartphone to their vehicle and control their compatible apps using voice commands or buttons on the vehicle display screen. AppLink now automatically discovers smartphone apps including Spotify, Pandora, Stitcher, NPR One, SiriusXM Radio and iHeartRadio Auto, and displays their unique graphics and branding. Music and news apps are automatically displayed along with other media sources, just like AM/FM or SiriusXM.

“Overall, AppLink is faster, more responsive and easier to find your apps,” said Julius Marchwicki, Ford global product manager, AppLink. “The overall design of SYNC 3 allows for better integration with smartphones – resulting in a more user-friendly experience.”

Developers easily can integrate branded apps into AppLink, providing Ford customers with an experience on the vehicle screen similar to what they see on smartphone screens.

SYNC 3 also features the new ability to update the software via Wi-Fi. Once a vehicle is set up with credentials for a home Wi-Fi network accessible in a customer’s driveway or garage, for example, it can automatically download updates.

SYNC 3, like earlier generations of the technology, provides subscription-free emergency service 911 Assist^®.

The customer’s Bluetooth-connected phone is used to dial 911 in the event of a significant accident, alerting first-responders with the vehicle’s location. With SYNC 3, the car relays additional information, including if airbags were deployed, the type of crash (front, side, rear or rollover) and the number of safety belts detected in use, in order to help emergency call takers dispatch the appropriate resources to the scene.

All-new Ford EcoSport offers all the practicality and affordability

• All-new Ford EcoSport offers all the practicality and affordability of a small car in a spacious and flexible SUV package
• EcoSport is among the first Ford vehicles in Europe to be equipped with Ford SYNC with AppLink for voice control of smartphone apps including Spotify
• Equipped with the 2014, 2013 and 2012 International Engine of the Year, the EcoSport is the first-ever SUV to be offered with a 1.0-litre engine
• 125PS 1.0-litre EcoSport achieves 53.3mpg and 125g/km CO₂*. EcoSport is also available with 112PS 1.5-litre petrol engine that delivers 44.8mpg and 149g/km CO₂; and a very fuel-efficient 90PS 1.5-litre TDCi diesel that achieves 61.4mpg and 120g/km
• Rugged, practical and agile EcoSport features; wading depth of 550mm; 20 stowage spaces; and boot space that exceeds many medium-sized family cars

Ford’s all-new EcoSport SUV offers the optimum combination of small car agility, affordability and fuel efficiency, with the flexibility and space customers expect from a SUV – in one stylish and connected package.

The stylish and rugged Ford EcoSport is the first SUV in the world to offer a 1.0-litre engine and is among the first Ford vehicles in Europe available with Ford SYNC with AppLink, enabling drivers to voice-control smartphone apps while keeping their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.

“All-new Ford EcoSport delivers a clever and connected small car for our European customers,” said Nick Fitzgerald, EcoSport chief programme engineer. “Ford’s new urban SUV is economical, flexible and stylish, and will line-up alongside the new B-MAX compact multi-activity vehicle, the best-selling Fiesta to complete Ford’s comprehensive small car line-up for the UK.”

EcoSport is the first Ford global model to be developed entirely in South America. First introduced in 2003 the EcoSport created the segment in Brazil and has since sold more than 770,000 in the region. Ford engineers and designers from more than 16 countries worked together to develop the all-new EcoSport that is launched amid increasing demand for SUVs in Europe. Ford projects that between 2013 and 2018, sales of all SUVs in Europe will increase by 22 per cent, and sales of small SUVs – like EcoSport – will increase by 90 per cent.

Ford is leveraging its historic leadership in SUVs in North America and other regions around the world to expand its line-up in Europe.

“It’s in Ford’s DNA to engineer class-leading SUVs,” Fitzgerald said. “EcoSport has already achieved iconic status in South America and now Ford will extend its UK range to introduce this rugged-looking, surprisingly spacious and affordable SUV.” 

Stylish and practical

Ford’s first global SUV, EcoSport, is stylish and practical – with a short bonnet, raked front pillars, and a distinctive five-piece chrome front grille with angular headlamps and signature LED light strips.

The full-sized spare wheel mounted on the tailgate ensures the EcoSport’s load capacity rivals that of many medium-sized family cars with up to 375 litres available when the rear seats are in place, depending on the rake of the seats. The EcoSport also delivers a commanding driving position with the driver’s seat height adjustable and the steering column adjustable for both reach and rake.

There are 20 smart stowage solutions, including room in the door pockets to store a large drinks bottle, a slide-out drawer under the front passenger seat, and a cooled glove box that can store up to six 350ml drink cans. 

Sporty and economical

EcoSport is available with the highly-acclaimed turbocharged 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine – three times winner of International Engine of the Year – to deliver performance to rival a traditional 1.6-litre engine, but with significantly better fuel efficiency and lower CO₂ emissions.

The 125PS 1.0-litre EcoBoost achieves 53.3mpg and 125g/km CO₂*. EcoSport also offers a 112PS 1.5-litre petrol engine that can achieve 44.8mpg and 149g/km CO₂ specified with a five-speed manual gearbox or with a six-speed automatic gearbox. A 90PS 1.5-litre diesel engine achieves 61.4mpg with 120g/km CO₂emissions.

The dynamic and fun-to-drive personality of the all-new EcoSport mirrors that of the acclaimed Fiesta.

“EcoSport’s combination of exciting looks, great performance and advanced technology is made all the more impressive by the fact that it’s all comfortably powered along by a frugal 1.0-litre engine,” Fitzgerald said.

Clever and connected

EcoSport features Hill Start Assist, Cruise Control, automatic wipers and headlights, and rear-parking sensors. The Ford SYNC in-car connectivity system enables voice-activation of phone calls and music selection from devices connected via Bluetooth or USB.

Ford SYNC Emergency Assistance will directly connect the vehicle occupants to local emergency services operators after an accident, and crucially, in the correct language for the region. Ford SYNC with AppLink will enable EcoSport owners to voice-activate apps, including leading music streaming service Spotify.

The urban SUV

In testing, the all-new EcoSport was first subjected to 20,000 virtual test scenarios using software to replicate a multitude of different road conditions from around the world. It was then driven more than one million miles on roads in South America, North America, Asia and Europe, in temperatures ranging from 50deg C to -25deg C, and at altitudes of up to 4,300m.

EcoSport’s agility and ability ensure it can tackle even the most challenging road conditions, whether it’s narrow, twisting, uneven rural roads, or the potholes and high kerbs of an urban environment. The 10.6m turning circle is among the best in its segment, and the EcoSport – which is equipped with front and rear skid plates – also has a 180mm ground clearance, a 22.1deg approach angle, 35deg departure angle and a wading depth of 550mm.

The new Ford EcoSport has been awarded a four-star safety rating from independent vehicle safety organisation Euro NCAP, and is equipped with driver, passenger, curtain and side airbags – as well as a driver’s knee airbag – as standard.

Super-high-strength boron steel has been used in the door frames to provide a high strength safety cell; and further safety systems include: Traction Control, Electronic Stability Program, Anti-Lock Brakes, Electronic Brake-Force Distribution and Emergency Brake Assist; and the EcoSport is also equipped with Tyre Pressure Monitoring System and Passenger Airbag Deactivation Indicator.

USA - Ford Fiesta débuts EcoBoost 1.0 litre engine.

• 2014 Ford Fiesta with new 1.0-liter EcoBoost® engine achieves fuel efficiency rating of 32 mpg city, 45 mpg highway and 37 mpg combined
• Fiesta is only vehicle in subcompact class to return 45 mpg highway and produce 120-plus horsepower
• 1.0-liter EcoBoost makes U.S. debut in 2014 Ford Fiesta

The new Ford Fiesta equipped with the award-winning 1.0-liter EcoBoost® engine will be America’s most fuel-efficient non-hybrid, gasoline-powered car with a certified 45 mpg rating on the highway, topping Honda Fit by 12 mpg and Toyota Yaris by 8 mpg on the highway.  

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has certified the 2014 EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta, arriving at dealers later this year, at 45 mpg highway.

The fuel economy rating not only establishes the Fiesta 1.0-liter EcoBoost as best-in-class, but it also outperforms some competitors’ diesels and hybrids on the highway driving cycle. The 2014 Honda Insight achieves 44 mpg highway, while the 2014 Volkswagen Golf diesel with a manual transmission delivers 42 mpg highway.

This also makes the Fiesta the only car in its class that produces more than 120 horsepower and achieves 45 mpg on the highway. Plus, while the 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine is officially SAE-certified at 123 horsepower and 125 lb.-ft. of torque, it features an overboost function that allows it to make more than 145 lb.-ft. for up to 15 seconds.

“With the new Fiesta 1.0-liter EcoBoost we’re pushing into fuel economy numbers only seen on hybrids and diesels,” said Joe Hinrichs, executive vice president and president of the Americas for Ford. “Coupled with the new Fiesta ST, Fiesta covers the performance-efficiency continuum in the subcompact segment better than any other nameplate in the market.”

Fuel economy is often cited as the No. 1 purchase consideration in the subcompact class, according to Ford research.

The EPA rating is for both the four- and five-door five-speed manual-equipped 2014 Ford Fiesta with SE Manual EcoBoost Package, which is also certified at 32 mpg city and 37 mpg combined.

Automotive journalists named the 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine in the 2014 Ford Fiesta International Engine of the Year in 2012 and 2013. The smallest engine in the growing EcoBoost family is increasingly the choice of Ford customers in Europe, where it is now available on five nameplates, accounting for 32 percent of Focus sales and 26 percent of Fiesta sales this year. Robust demand for the 1.0-liter in Europe prompted Ford to double production capacity at its state-of-the-art Cologne, Germany, plant to more than 1,000 engines a day.

EcoBoost technology combines smaller-displacement engines with turbocharging, direct injection, variable valve timing and proprietary Ford software to bring customers outstanding performance and fuel economy. Ford EcoBoost engines deliver up to 20 percent better fuel economy than larger-displacement gasoline engines.

Ford’s global EcoBoost engine family now includes the 1.0-liter three-cylinder; 1.5-liter, 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter four-cylinder engines; and the powerful 3.5-liter V6 engine. EcoBoost technology is available in every region Ford serves worldwide, and will be offered on approximately 80 percent of the company’s global nameplates by the end of this year.

Beyond the efficient new EcoBoost powerplant, Fiesta’s aerodynamic design also helps save fuel. Along with cruise control, the Fiesta SE Manual EcoBoost Package package adds a rear spoiler, side air deflectors, underbody shields, lower grille blockers and low-rolling-resistance tires that, together, decrease the amount of fuel needed to push the car through the air at speed.

In addition to the new leadership claim for highway fuel efficiency, the new Fiesta boasts a best-in-class suite of technologies and features that gives drivers an ideal blend of a connected world and an untethered driving experience.

A new MyFord Touch® system with 6.5-inch touch screen featuring enhanced voice control is now available, providing drivers more options than ever for navigation, communication and entertainment functions. SYNC® AppLink™ capabilities pioneered on the first Fiesta continue to allow access and control of Ford-approved smartphone apps through voice commands and other controls for drivers on the go, helping them keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. Turn-by-turn navigation remains part of SYNC Services.

Ford MyKey® is a new feature for Fiesta. MyKey enables parents in particular to encourage safer driving and limit their teenagers’ exposure to risk at the wheel. The system allows owners to configure maximum speed and audio volume limits. It mutes audio until safety belts are fastened and ensures driver aids, safety systems and more vigorous alerts cannot be deactivated when used.