Ford Puts Latest Technologies and Smartest Mustang Ever on Display at Computex, Showcasing Continued Technology Leadership

Ford (NYSE:F) today announced that it will bring its Ford AppLink platform to three new Asia Pacific markets in 2015 – Taiwan, New Zealand and Thailand – and that it will introduce its Emergency Assistance technology to the Taiwan market.

“Today marks the continued expansion of our presence in Asia Pacific, with new technologies and the all-new Ford Mustang preparing to hit the market,” said Trevor Worthington, vice president, Product Development, Ford Asia Pacific. “Our customers are going to love bringing their favorite apps into their cars using the AppLink platform, and our Emergency Assistance technology has reassured drivers in markets all over the globe with its first responder capabilities.”

Ford AppLink is a solution to in-car connectivity that allows users to control their favorite apps using voice controls. Emergency Assistance uses Ford’s in-car connectivity platform, SYNC, to connect vehicle occupants to emergency responders in the event of an accident, providing the emergency operators with GPS location details.

“It’s an exciting week for Ford here at Computex,” said Worthington. “With the all-new Ford Mustang, live demonstrations of our experimental vehicle-to-vehicle communications technology, and all of the cutting-edge tech and interactive displays at the Ford stand, Computex is a great example of how Ford is taking technology to the next level.”

Connect with AppLink

Building on the roll-out of its Ford AppLink technology in China, Australia and India this year, Ford will deepen its commitment to Asia Pacific and extend the Ford AppLink platform to three new markets in 2015: Taiwan, New Zealand and Thailand. The Ford AppLink platform allows users to control mobile apps with voice controls.

“Our AppLink technology has been enormously popular in every market where it’s been introduced, and we’re thrilled to announce that AppLink will be available to more of our customers in Asia Pacific,” said Joe Beiser, Director of Ford Connected Services, Asia Pacific, Africa and Europe.

Ford set the benchmark for in-car connectivity with its SYNC system, which allows drivers to pair their mobile phones with the SYNC platform and control the radio, make and receive calls and operate more features hands-free using voice controls. Ford AppLink builds on that hands-free capability and allows mobile app developers to utilize the SYNC platform to make their apps respond to voice commands.

The announcement that Ford AppLink will become available in three new Asia Pacific markets adds to Ford’s strong momentum building developer ties in Asia Pacific, and comes on the heels of two major SmartDeviceLink (SDL) partnerships announced last month at GMIC Beijing: Baidu and AutoNavi. The SDL program is the open-source version of Ford’s AppLink system, and seeks to simplify the development process for automotive apps – therefore expanding the availability of in-car apps for consumers. Ford last year made its developer website, developer.ford.com, available in Chinese.

By open-sourcing its proprietary AppLink code, expanding partnerships with mobile app developers and increasing the amount of markets where AppLink technology is available, Ford has continued to put its developer focus in the spotlight.

Cutting-edge V2V technology on display

During Computex, Ford will be demonstrating its experimental vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications technology – notably on display in Asia Pacific for the first time. The live demonstrations will feature two specially-equipped Ford Kugas in situations where V2V technology has the potential to help prevent collisions.

The technology is a Wi-Fi based radio system that allows cars to communicate with one another, enabling them to detect and possibly alert drivers to hazards they may not be able to see yet. The technology lets cars share information about speed, position and predicted path with other vehicles, which has the potential to decrease collisions, help ease traffic jams and contribute to more efficient driving patterns.

Ford considers V2V and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication integral to its Blueprint for Mobility, which outlines near-, mid- and long-term solutions for the changing transportation landscape in an increasingly crowded and urbanized world. Ford is a leader in investigating these cutting-edge technologies, forging major research partnerships in the United States and Europe with public authorities, standards organizations and other global automakers to develop harmonized standards for V2V and V2I technologies.

Ford’s live V2V demonstrations will take place in Taipei’s downtown Zhongshan district from June 3-6, located a short drive from the Computex expo at 218-8 Lequn Third Road.

Emergency Assistance coming to Taiwan

The introduction of Emergency Assistance to Taiwan is further proof of Ford’s commitment to bring more of its innovative technologies to Taiwan and the Asia Pacific region. The Emergency Assistance technology uses Ford’s SYNC platform to place phone calls to emergency operators in the event of an accident, and is already available in 9 million Ford vehicles worldwide.

Once a driver has paired their phone with Ford’s SYNC in-car connectivity system and turned on Emergency Assistance, the service runs for the entire lifetime of the vehicle without any necessary registration or subscription fees, unless turned off by the driver.

In the event of an accident where an airbag is deployed or the emergency fuel pump shut off is triggered, the Emergency Assistance technology begins a 10-second countdown during which the driver can cancel the call if emergency response is not necessary. If the call is not cancelled, the system will connect with emergency operators and inform them of the accident and give GPS location coordinates.

If the driver is using the phone at the time of the accident, the system will disconnect the call in progress and initiate the emergency call, during which the connection to emergency operators cannot be interrupted by any incoming calls. If the driver leaves the vehicle while connected to emergency operators, the driver can take the phone with them and continue the call as they move away from the vehicle.

All-new smart, sleek Mustang

The all-new Ford Mustang will be on display for the first time in Taiwan at the Computex booth, as it prepares for its arrival in Taiwan next year. With over 9 million Mustangs sold since the car went into production, the Ford Mustang has made an enormous impression on popular culture worldwide, with countless appearances in movies, television and video games. In a first for the world’s original fastback, the all-new Ford Mustang will go global in 2015.

The latest generation of Ford’s iconic pony car sports a full lineup of smart technologies and an array of performance-enhancing features that make it the smartest and most advanced Mustang ever. With SYNC, My Key®, Blind Spot Information System with cross traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, Intelligent Access with push-button start and a rear view camera, the all-new Ford Mustang lets drivers take full control of their driving experience.

On the performance side, drivers will have the ability to tune their car to driving style and road conditions. By utilizing four pre-set driving options – normal, snow-wet, sport or track – the all-new Ford Mustang’s Selectable Drive Modes lets drivers easily and quickly adjust throttle response, shift control, steering effort and stability control settings.

The all-new Ford Mustang has a revamped look, with five decades of key design elements blended with a contemporary execution. It has the classic long sculpted hood and short rear deck, as well as a lower, wider stance, steeply sloped windshield and rear glass, tri-bar taillamps and a signature shark-bite front fascia and trapezoidal grille. The interior evokes an airplane cockpit, and was executed with the highest level of design craftsmanship ever applied to the Ford Mustang.

Ford’s interactive presence at Computex

Ford’s lineup of innovative in-car connectivity technologies will be on display at Ford’s Computex stand, including demo stations for SYNC and Ford AppLink, inviting consumers to learn more and interact with Ford’s technology products.

The booth will also have an interactive Green Wall where visitors will be able to snap photos in front of their favorite background – a variety of animated images of different apps and Ford vehicles – before sharing them on social media or keeping them as souvenirs.

Visitors to the stand will also have the opportunity to play a fun, unique game created specifically for the Ford Computex stand. An on-site illustrator will create individual characters based on the appearance of the visitor, which will then be placed into a game that can be played on iPads at the Ford stand. The gamers will have to find their character as well as images of popular apps hidden inside a larger scene.

On June 3, at 11:45AM Taiwan time, Ford will host a discussion panel with leading technology experts on the topic of how technology is enabling smarter lifestyles, which will also be streamed live online for fans following along at home with the #FordComputex hashtag. On June 4-6, Ford will host daily livestreaming sessions at 11:00AM, where viewers will have the chance to win prizes while learning about SYNC, Ford AppLink and the all-new Mustang from Ford experts.

Ford will also join a TEDx forum about how technology is shaping the future. The June 4 event will feature a talk from K. Venkatesh Prasad, senior technical leader, Open Innovation, Ford Motor Company, where he will discuss coming-of-age smart cities, and how trends like vehicle communications, big data and autonomous driving technologies will influence the future of personal mobility.

Computex takes place at the TWTC Nangang Exhibition Hall in Taipei from June 3-7, 2014.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 183,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.

For news releases, related materials and high-resolution photos and video, visit www.media.ford.com.

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