Ford To Introduce New Infotainment System in India Next Year

US auto major Ford plans to introduce in India its latest version of communications and entertainment system, SYNC 3, in its vehicles by next year.

Ford showcased its SYNC 3 technology at the International CES here. SYNC 3 will be available in vehicles in US this year. According to the company, its latest infotainment system SYNC3 would be faster, more intuitive and easier to use than the existing SYNC AppLink present in Ford cars.

"We are currently rolling out SYNC 3 updated version in North America. My guess would be it will come to Indian markets by 2016-17," Ford Product Development Engineer (App Link) Stefan Bankowski told PTI.

The "next generation voice activated technology" in cars, as Ford calls it, would be available for Android and iPhone users. Bankowski said that the app connects to some smartphone apps through voice commands and apps like 'Map My India', AccuWeather', Cric Info' would now also be available.

"The customer can just give a voice command or use the touch screen of the infotainment system to select the app," Bankowski said. The new design and easy-to-read graphics is the key innovation for updated SYNC 3 technology.

Through the app, the customers can stream Internet radio, listen to tweets, and more without fumbling through phone menus. "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 vehicles," Ford Group VP (Global Product Development) Raj Nair said.

The SYNC app, which is already in use in over 10 million vehicles on the road, connects customers to some of their favourite smartphone applications through voice commands.

In India, the SYNC feature is available on Ford Ecosport while the SYNC with AppLink is a feature on Fiesta 2014 model. The company plans to introduce SYNC with AppLink on Ecosport this year in India.