Ford's SYNC Sells Cars
Ford says SYNC is helping get sales back in sync by helping move out unsold cars.
SYNC is Ford's industry-exclusive technology — created along with Microsoft — that provides customers vehicle voice command compatibility with portable digital media players and most Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones.
Ford has an 18-month exclusive contract for use in its vehicles before others can offer the system.
Ford insists the 12 SYNC-equipped Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles now offering it are moving off dealer lots twice as fast as those without it. By the end of this calendar year nearly all vehicles in the Ford family will offer SYNC as standard or a $395 option.
"It isn't surprising SYNC is helping, because the techies who already have all things electrical now in their pockets want all things electrical now in their cars, too," said Joe Phillippi, principal of AutoTrends, an automotive consulting firm. There's "nothing wrong" with Ford offering something other than incentives to help it regain sales, he said.
Ford says SYNC is a sales tool, attracting younger buyers with an eye for sophisticated electronics. It’s also nabbing older buyers who want the convenience of a hands-free mobile phone, especially in cities where hand-held cell phones are banned.
"I’m finding that vehicles with SYNC are spending less time sitting on the lot," says John Hennessy, a Calumet City, Ill. Ford dealer. "SYNC is reaching all ages; the savvy young as well as older buyers. People come in pre-sold on SYNC and then decide on a vehicle after finding out which ones we offer SYNC in. People who won't spend a dollar more for power door locks have to have SYNC."
It helps that Ford sent trainers to each store to ensure sales staffs knew how to use the system to play songs or make calls so they could quickly show potential buyers. Ford says a survey of SYNC buyers found 80% say it was easy to learn and use and 90% would recommend it to others.
"Gimmicks usually don't work, but Ford proved that wrong with SYNC," said Aaron Bragman, research analyst with Global Insight. "SYNC has proved more popular than most expected, thanks to offering it at a low $395 and making it accessible even in inexpensive cars to appeal to a wider variety of buyers."
Bragman says he's seen some of the new SYNC technology coming at a recent Ford background session and calls it "remarkable."
Ford and Microsoft are expected to showcase the second generation of SYNC — new features and all — at next week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
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SYNC, these other gimmie stuff will not make most people buy a FOUND ON ROAD DEAD car. Get sync doe hands free driving? they are like 20 bucks i believe
The genius of the SYNC system is in the value factor. Most car companies would charge $395 for a Bluetooth speakerphone alone, without voice commands and without iPod connectivity. In the TV ads I've seen, it sounds as if they're using the same warning chime as the BMW iDrive system.
I can't get over how smart most of the Ford bashers sound. Maybe if they went to school, they could afford a new Ford and stop driving the 20 year old hand me downs that I always see mentioned in many of the bash comments.
Howdy all...
Does anyone think that SYNC will, in time, become a new OnStar type of service?
What other automotive manufacturers are considering adding SYNC to their options list?
Anybody out there know, or have a clue?
Peace!<-AladdinSane-
That's a big question. When the 18 month exclusive deal is up I would think a lot of other automakers would want the easy bluetooth/ipod voice recognition software too. Obviously I don't think GM will do it. But maybe Chrysler.
So it is the SYNC that's selling not Ford?
I mean, why in the world would I want to pay $395 for a bluetooth thingy? While an in-car bluetooth speaker costs way less, and more importantly, I can take the speaker out from my car and put it in my buddy's when traveling together.
Voice-command? Most cell phones sold today has that function built in already.
Connecting the portable music player? My car has the cable that does the job.
The only good thing with this is you can skip tracks with voice command. Okay, so what? If the new car sold in 2008 still don't have those controls on the steering wheel, you know what you have bought.
If I am not mistaken, those vehicle equipped with voice-command navigation systems can change tracks with voice command too.
I'm sure people are not commiting to 4-6 years of car payments only because of sync. The sync is merely bringing people in who have never driven or even thought about driving a ford to the dealerships. The cars, which are really underappreciated by people who don't drive fords, are doing the rest.
J,
most of what you are saying is true, however, there aren't any cars that will integrate with all of the gadgets as well as Sync will. And it will do it all for just $395. And none of them will find a track by title with voice command either.
So for those who doesn't need to "find" a track, this is essetially useless?