The new Ford Focus, due to hit forecourts with Ford Sync and MyFord Touch technology in 2012, will have the ability to phone for help if you crash. The Ford Focus has all manner of interesting tech party tricks — automatic parallel parking and road-sign recognition to name just a couple. Its in-car entertainment features, however, have always been a little old-school, on European models at least.
“We are pleased to announce that SYNC will soon be available to customers around the world,” Mulally said. “It is a smarter, safer and simpler way to connect drivers with in-car technologies and their digital lives. At Ford, we have always believed that the intelligent application of technology can help us deliver the very best customer experience and help us contribute to a better world, so we challenged ourselves to build technologically advanced cars that make driving greener, safer and smarter for all.”
Called Sync Emergency Assistance, the service will come free with every Ford that has Sync installed. Sync Emergency Assistance makes use of your phone (linked to it with Bluetooth) to make sure that drivers and passengers aren’t left unattended or stranded without help if they ever get into a car accident. In the event of a crash, the car will be able to automatically send out a phone call for some help. It will even use GPS and cell towers to triangulate your position so that emergency services will know where to find you when you need help.
Any comprehension problems seem to have been ironed out, however, as Sync will be able to understand 10,000 commands in US, UK and Australian English, European and Canadian French, European and US Spanish, and European and Brazilian Portuguese. It’ll also decipher German, Italian, Dutch, Russian and Turkish, and, beyond Europe, Arabic, Korean and Japanese.
Ford says Sync Emergency Assistance will boast double the country coverage of its competitors, and triggered by an airbag deployment or a crash that triggers the fuel pump to be disengaged, could save lives. It’ll automatically warn you it’s going to call for help. If you don’t cancel it, say because you’re unconscious, it’ll dial 112 using a Bluetooth link to your mobile phone. It’ll then announce to the emergency operator that you’ve had a crash, and give GPS co-ordinates, all in the language they’re most likely to speak. Great if you’re prone to forgetting foreign road rules.
The 2012 Ford Focus is powered by 2.0L DOHC inline 4-clyinder unit with twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT), direct gasoline injection and E85 flex fuel capability. The engine produces 160-hp and 146 lb-ft of torque. With the SFE (Super Fuel Economy) package, the Focus delivers an EPA-certified fuel-economy rating of 28/40 mpg (city/highway). The 2012 Focus is offered in S, SE, SEL and Titanium trim-levels with prices starting at $16,270.
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