Auto Events

DEARBORN, Mich. – The award-winning Ford SYNC® AppLink™ software program is migrating to a new group of 2012 Ford vehicles, giving more vehicle owners the opportunity to enjoy intuitive voice control of and access to their smartphone apps on the go.

The 2012 Ford Fusion, Fusion Hybrid, Fiesta, F-150, F-150 SVT Raptor, Super Duty, Expedition, E-Series and Shelby GT500 join the previously announced 2012 Ford Mustang as AppLink-equipped vehicles.

Plus, more mobile innovations are on the way, with additional Ford jobs planned for the company’s Connected Services Solutions Organization – and 2,500 independent developers already signaling they are interested in creating more apps for Ford through the company’s dedicated SYNC developer website (www.syncmyride.com/developer).

“We understand more and more drivers are using their devices and their apps while in the car,” said Doug VanDagens, director of Ford Connected Services Solutions. “Ford is a part of the solution, offering voice-activated options such as Ford SYNC with AppLink on a broader range of our products, which gives more customers a smarter way to access their apps while driving that keeps their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.”

The recently released J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Automotive Emerging Technologies Study reports 86 percent of smartphone owners indicate they use their device while in their vehicles. A Nationwide Mutual Insurance 2010 study indicates more than one in four Americans who download smartphone apps admit to using those apps while driving.

Great expectations

Adding AppLink as a factory-installed, standard feature of SYNC on a wider range of vehicles, including F-Series, America’s best-selling vehicle for 29 years, puts Ford further out front in the race to integrate smartphone apps into the car, a feature vehicle owners are increasingly demanding.

Ford has great expectations for AppLink as it migrates to more products and more customers, especially Fusion and F-150 owners, already avid buyers of the SYNC system. Currently, more than 84 percent of 2011 Fusions sold are equipped with SYNC, with F-150 coming in at more than 76 percent for the optional in-car connectivity system.

VanDagens adds that the Ford Connected Services Solutions Organization, responsible for developing the company’s in-car connectivity services, is also on its own accelerated growth plan to stay in step with – if not a step ahead of – how the car connects with the latest and greatest in the mobile electronics industry.

During the next four years, the global Connected Services team will grow fourfold, with a threefold jump planned for U.S. operations alone.

“Ford is committed to building systems for the vehicle environment that leverage innovation and infrastructure and are robust to the changing consumer electronics technology landscape,” said VanDagens. “To do that safely, seamlessly and securely, we have to have dedicated people on our team who eat, sleep and breathe consumer electronics rarified air – technical experts who not only understand current technology but have a sense for where it is headed.”

If you’re a car enthusiast, you probably enjoy a great car chase. I don’t mean the kind of high-speed pursuits involving the likes of O.J. Simpson or other fugitives from the law, but the elaborate chase sequences that Hollywood produces and stages for us. Nothing beats the roar of an engine, quick gear shifts, and the occasional collision when it comes to getting the adrenaline pumping.

Electric cars are becoming more popular and Kia wanted to join the party. On press day at the Chicago Auto Show, Kia unveiled their first ever full EV, the 2015 Soul EV. 

The EV is based on the second-generation Soul and has only a few differences from the gas-powered machine. The EV has specific paint colours, 16-inch wheels and LED lighting elements.

The Soul EV is powered by an 81.4kilowatt electric motor, which is good for 109 horsepower and 210 pound-feet of torque. It will also come with an air-cooled 27kilowatt hour lithium polymer battery that should allow a driving range of about 128-160 kilometres. The EV will max out at around 145 kph.

For the battery to reach full from completely empty, Kia says it will take approximately 24 hours from a standard 120-volt outlet. The higher of the voltage coming from the outlet, will reduce the amount of time to be charged.

Along with the green drivetrain, the EV also has an interior of eco-friendly materials. The Soul EV has an option for a heat pump, which will use power from the electric system to warm the vehicle. 

Buyers will be able to choose from limited two-tone colours that are exclusive to the EV. Pearl White body with an Electric Blue roof, a Caribbean Blue body with a Clear White roof, and Bright Silver accompanied by a Clear White roof. Seating wise, both cloth and leather are available – they are both gray with blue accents.

The Kia Soul EV will at first only be available to a few EV-friendly states in the United States that have the proper infrastructure for it. Those include California, Oregon, New York, New Jersey and Maryland. 

It will go on sale during the third quarter with prices to be announced closer to the sale date.

Subaru has leaked images of the 2015 Legacy before its debut at the Chicago Auto Show. The new look is sleeker and more appealing than the previous Legacy. The set of images show that the lines are similar to the 2015 WRX, as well as the hood and headlights. 

Although no official numbers have been released on the Legacy, it will probably hold the same engine as before - a 2.5-litre boxer four-cylinder engine, which can push out 175 horsepower. The 3.6-litre six-cylinder that can push 256 horsepower could be offered as well. Only time will tell and there’s still a change that another engine option could be the turbocharged engine from the WRX.