These videos are of people sharing their thoughts and opinions about new Ford cars, crossovers and SUVs. The comments are as real as the people who made them. They are not scripted. In fact, these people didn’t know that they were being filmed for Ford commercials. That’s the only way to get genuine opinions, and that’s how these were produced.

Here’s a short setup for each of the new video spots:

• “Rachel Escape Hybrid” talks about how her Escape Hybrid saves her money
• “Christopher Fusion Hybrid” tells us why he is pleasantly surprised to be a hybrid owner
• “Greg Edge” talks about how the Power lift gate in his Edge has made his life easier
• “Adam and Amie Flex” is about coexisting thanks to Dual Climate Control in their Flex

You can also view all of the previously loaded videos in this series.

This is a continuation of last year’s very successful work under the Drive One advertising campaign. Ford will keep highlighting accomplishments in four key areas that shape the reputation of the company – Quality, Green, Safe and Smart. Ford will continue its ongoing commitment to the community, the environment and innovation.

Do you have a story about Ford that you want to share? You can submit your story and upload a video or photo to make your Ford Story part of the Ford Story. Click here to see other stories and to learn more about submitting yours.

Ford continues to stand apart from competitors. From nontraditional marketing successes such as using social media to generate more than 50,000 hand raisers for the upcoming Ford Fiesta to leveraging global car platforms to bringing new cars such as the Ford C-MAX to North America, Ford is different and making progress.

We make it easy for you to share this story with your friends; simply click on the “share this” method of your choice at the top right corner of this page. You can also click here to sign up for updates from Ford Motor Company, and click here to add an RSS feed to your regular homepage.

“Consumers demand the latest on-the-go innovation in their cars. Ford automobiles are built with cutting-edge technology that makes driving safer and more enjoyable,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association® (CEA), producer of the International CES. “We are thrilled to welcome Ford to the 2010 International CES and to name the new Ford Taurus as the ‘Official Car of CES.’ We also look forward to hearing Ford’s Alan Mulally kick off the 2010 CES with his opening keynote address on Thursday, January 7.”

Official Car of 2010 International CES

The 2010 Ford Taurus will be the official car of the 2010 International CES – offering 10 class-exclusive technologies not available from any other manufacturer. In addition to Multi-Contour Seats with Active Motion, voice-activated navigation, SYNC and MyKey, other class-exclusive technologies available on the Ford Taurus include:

• EasyFuel® Capless Fuel-Filler – a self-seal system without a traditional fuel cap. No lost, dangling, or spinning caps. It seals automatically, every time.
• SecuriCode™ Keyless Entry Keypad – a feature that allows you to unlock the driver’s door by entering a five-digit code via a flush-mounted keypad
• Adaptive Cruise Control and Collision Warning with Brake Support – a feature that allows you to set a cruising speed and uses radar technology to automatically adjust your speed and warn you if you’re getting too close to the vehicle in front of you
• Blind Spot Information System (BLIS®) with Cross Traffic Alert – a feature that uses radar technology to warn you of vehicles in your blind spot and alert you to oncoming traffic when you’re backing out of a parking spot
• Sony Audio® System – a surround sound system that delivers Dolby® Digital 5.1 sound through 12 high-quality Sony speakers
• Available EcoBoost™ V-6 – a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 engine that delivers the output of a V-8, 365 horsepower, without compromising its V-6 fuel economy 

2010 Innovations Design and Engineering Awards at CES

Ford Work Solutions’ in-dash computer won 2010 Best of Innovations in the category of In-Vehicle Accessories. SYNC’s latest application, Traffic, Directions & Information, was honored in the category of In-Vehicle Navigation/Telematics/ITS (Intelligent Transportation System).

“Our customers want the latest in connectivity and technology – making their drive experience more enjoyable and convenient,” said Mark Fields, president, The Americas, Ford Motor Company. “We’re honored that CES has recognized our efforts in providing these customer-driven features.”

Products entered in this prestigious program are judged by a preeminent panel of independent industrial designers, engineers and members of the media to honor outstanding design and engineering in cutting-edge consumer electronics products across 36 categories.

The Innovations entries are judged based on the following criteria:

• Engineering qualities, based on technical specs and materials used
• Aesthetic and design qualities, using photos provided
• The product’s intended use/function and user value
• Unique/novel features that consumers would find attractive
• How the design and innovation of the product compares to other products in the marketplace

Ford Work Solutions

Ford Work Solutions is a collection of technologies created to provide Ford commercial truck and van customers with connectivity, flexibility and security to better manage their businesses. Available on Ford F-150, F-Series Super Duty, E-Series vans and the new Transit Connect, Ford Work Solutions delivers four innovative features:

• An in-dash computer developed with Magneti Marelli and powered by Microsoft Auto that provides full high-speed Internet access via the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network, Bluetooth-enabled hands-free calling and navigation by Garmin. The first broadband-capable in-dash computer in production, the system allows customers to print invoices, check inventories and access documents stored on their home or office computer networks – right on the job site. The office is now mobile.
• Tool Link™, a Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) asset tracking system developed in association with DeWALT™, the industry leader in professional power tools, and ThingMagic, the industry expert on embedded RFID technology. This technology enables customers to maintain a detailed real-time inventory of the tools or equipment stored in the pickup box.
• Crew Chief™, a fleet tracking, telematics and diagnostics system, offered with market-leading telematics specialist Microlise, provides dynamic location and performance data fleet owners need to more efficiently manage their vehicles, quickly dispatch workers to job sites, monitor driver performance for safety and economy, and keep detailed vehicle maintenance records.
• Cable Lock security system developed in association with Master Lock®, the industry-leading lock manufacturer, discourages theft of expensive tools too large to fit in the cab.

You can read more about Ford Work Solutions by clicking here.

SYNC with Traffic, Directions & Information

Ford SYNC’s latest application – Traffic, Directions & Information – leverages industry-leading voice-recognition software, integrated GPS technology and a customer’s Bluetooth-capable mobile phone. It provides simple hands-free access to personalized traffic reports, precise turn-by-turn driving directions and up-to-date information including business listings, news, sports and weather.

These new capabilities are in addition to SYNC’s established hallmark suite of services, from hands-free, voice-activated cell phone and digital media player integration to the more recent security and convenience additions of 911 Assist™ and Vehicle Health Report.

Introduced in 2007, more than 80 percent of the vehicles Ford sells in North America are equipped with SYNC, and more than 1 million SYNC-equipped vehicles are on the road today.

2010 International CES

Ford Work Solutions and SYNC with Traffic, Directions & Information will be on display at the 2010 International CES, which runs January 7-10, 2010 in Las Vegas. The Innovations Design and Engineering Showcase will feature honorees by product category in the Grand Lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Center and they will also be featured at CES Unveiled: The Official Press Event of the International CES on January 5.

Innovations 2010 Design and Engineering honoree products are featured on www.CESweb.org/Innovations, which lists product categories, as well as each product name, manufacturer information, designer, description, photo and URL.

The prestigious Innovations Design and Engineering Awards have been recognizing achievements in product design and engineering since 1976. It is sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the producer of the International CES, the world’s largest consumer technology trade show, and endorsed by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), the voice of industrial design, committed to advancing the profession through education, information, community and advocacy.

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This new and advanced restraint system is designed to help reduce head, neck and chest injuries for rear seat passengers, often children and older passengers who can be more vulnerable to such injuries.

Ford will introduce inflatable rear seat belts on the next-generation Ford Explorer, which goes into production next year for the North American market. Over time, Ford plans to offer the technology in vehicles globally.

“Ford’s rear inflatable seat belt technology will enhance safety for rear-seat passengers of all ages, especially for young children who are more vulnerable in crashes,” said Sue Cischke, Ford group vice president of Sustainability, Environmental and Safety Engineering. “This is another unique family technology that builds on our safety leadership, including the most top safety ratings of any automaker.”

This video explains how the new inflatable safety belts function.

Safer and more comfortable

Advances in air bag inflation and seat belt construction methods have enabled Ford and its suppliers to develop inflatable seat belts that are designed to deploy over a vehicle occupant’s torso and shoulder in 40 milliseconds in the event of a crash.

In everyday use, the inflatable belts operate like conventional seat belts and are safe and compatible with infant and children safety car and booster seats. In Ford’s research, more than 90 percent of those who tested the inflatable seat belts found them to be similar to or more comfortable than a conventional belt because they feel padded and softer. That comfort factor could help improve the 61 percent rear belt usage rate in the U.S., which compares to 82 percent usage by front seat passengers, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data.

In the event of a frontal or side crash, the inflatable belt’s increased diameter more effectively holds the occupant in the appropriate seating position, helping to reduce the risk of injury.

Vehicle safety sensors determine the severity of the collision in the blink of an eye and deploy the inflatable belts’ air bags. Each belt’s tubular air bag inflates with cold compressed gas, which flows through a specially designed buckle from a cylinder housed below the seat.

The inflatable belt’s accordion-folded bag breaks through the belt fabric as it fills with air, expanding sideways across the occupant’s body in about the same amount of time it takes a car traveling at highway speed to cover a yard of distance.

The use of cold compressed gas instead of a heat-generating chemical reaction – which is typical of traditional air bag systems – means the inflated belts feel no warmer on the wearer’s body than the ambient temperature. The inflatable belts also fill at a lower pressure and a slower rate than traditional air bags, because the device does not need to close a gap between the belt and the occupant.

The inflated belt helps distribute crash force energy across five times more of the occupant’s torso than a traditional belt, which expands its range of protection and reduces risk of injury by diffusing crash pressure over a larger area, while providing additional support to the head and neck. After deployment, the belt remains inflated for several seconds before dispersing its air through the pores of the air bag.

Ford’s safety leadership record continues to grow

The inflatable seat belt debuting on the next-generation Ford Explorer continues Ford’s record of safety innovation. Ford today has more 5-star U.S. government ratings and “Top Safety Picks” from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety than any other automaker.

Ford was the first automaker to introduce seat belts in 1955 and led the way in making driver and front-passenger air bags standard in most vehicles by 1993.

Click here to view this detailed timeline of Ford milestones in air bag and seat belt technology.

This year, Ford introduced radar-enabled Adaptive Cruise Control with Collision Warning with Brake Support and Blind Spot Information System (BLIS®) with Cross Traffic Alert (CTA). These technologies – introduced on the new 2010 Ford Taurus and Fusion – help drivers avoid potential dangerous crash situations using radar to detect the relative position of other vehicles and warn the driver with a combination of visual and audio alerts.

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These videos are of people sharing their thoughts and opinions about new Ford cars, crossovers and SUVs. The comments are as real as the people who made them. They are not scripted. In fact, these people didn’t know that they were being filmed for Ford commercials. That’s the only way to get genuine opinions, and that’s how these were produced.

Here’s a short setup for each of the new video spots:

• “Rachel ER” is about the advantages of SIRIUS Travel Link™
• “Robert Likes” tells us all about the versatility of his Transit Connect
• “Michael MPG” talks about the fuel efficiency of Ford Escape
• “Christopher Leaves” shows the love of a Fusion Hybrid and its fuel economy savings
• “Karina Fusion” portrays Fusion as a car for her generation
• “Fabricio Transit Connect” praises Ford for thinking of the worker in designing the Transit Connect
• “Christian Escape” tells us about how his son reacted to the cool SYNC® system
• “Alfonso Flex” talks about the Reverse Sensing System and the confidence it brings to backing up

You can view the Spanish versions here:
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This is a continuation of last year’s very successful work under the Drive One advertising campaign. Ford will keep highlighting accomplishments in four key areas that shape the reputation of the company – Quality, Green, Safe and Smart. Ford will continue its ongoing commitment to the community, the environment and innovation.

Do you have a story about Ford that you want to share? You can submit your story and upload a video or photo to make your Ford Story part of the Ford Story. Click here to see other stories and to learn more about submitting yours.

Ford continues to stand apart from competitors. From nontraditional marketing successes such as using social media to generate more than 50,000 hand raisers for the upcoming Ford Fiesta to leveraging global car platforms to bringing new cars such as the Ford C-MAX to North America, Ford is different and making progress.

We make it easy for you to share this story with your friends; simply click on the “share this” method of your choice at the top right corner of this page. You can also click here to sign up for updates from Ford Motor Company, and click here to add an RSS feed to your regular homepage.

One of the ways that these experiences will be shared is through a series of TV spots called “One More Reason.” These videos are of people sharing their thoughts and opinions about the new Ford cars, crossovers and SUVs. The comments are as real as the people who made them. They are not scripted. In fact, these people didn’t know that it was Ford filming them, or that they would be used in commercials. That’s the only way to get genuine opinions, and that’s how these were produced.

The spots will begin airing on October 12, but we have an early preview of some of them for you here. Watch them all and let us know what you think. 

This new phase is a continuation of last year’s very successful work under the Drive One advertising campaign. Ford will keep highlighting accomplishments in four key areas that shape the reputation of the company – Quality, Green, Safe and Smart. Ford will continue its ongoing commitment to the community, the environment and innovation.

Do you have a story about Ford that you want to share? You can submit your story and upload a video or photo to make your Ford Story part of the Ford Story. Click here to see other stories and to learn more about submitting yours. 

Ford continues to stand apart from competitors. From nontraditional marketing successes such as using social media to generate more than 50,000 hand raisers for the upcoming Ford Fiesta to leveraging global car platforms to bringing new cars such as the Ford C-MAX to North America, Ford is different and making progress.

We make it easy for you to share this story with your friends; simply click on the “share this” method of your choice at the top right corner of this page. You can also click here to sign up for updates from Ford Motor Company, and click here to add an RSS feed to your regular home page.

In an effort to reduce teen crashes and fatalities, the Ford Driving Skills for Life driving camp was created in 2003 in partnership with the Governors Highway Safety Association.^® It is one of the nation’s most comprehensive teen driver safety programs. This free, safe-driving event went well beyond typical driver education courses.

Participants were given instruction on safe-driving techniques from some of the nation’s top professional driving instructors. They also practiced these techniques in a safe environment. The techniques focused on four key skill areas: speed management, space management, vehicle handling and hazard recognition. Experts have identified the lack of these skills as the cause of approximately 60 percent of vehicle crashes for newly licensed drivers ages, 16 to 19 years old.

As a way of demonstrating the impact of distracted driving, participants were asked to text while driving through a course of cones, and then to answer handheld phones. The number of cones knocked over increased dramatically compared to when the drivers kept their eyes on the course instead of texting or talking on handheld devices.

You can learn more about Ford Driving Skills for Life by clicking here.

One of the technologies that is available on some Ford models to help avoid distracted driving is the SYNC® system. Please see the fact sheet below to learn more about the features of SYNC.
SYNC Overview
 

In addition to the Ford Driving Skills for Life driving camp, Ford’s recently introduced MyKey^TM technology helps parents encourage teenagers to drive safely through features that limit a vehicle’s top speed and audio volume, and encourage safety-belt usage. The information below provides a complete overview of the features MyKey offers.
MyKey

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“Ford believes hands-free, voice-activated technology substantially reduces that risk by allowing drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road,” said Sue Cischke, Group Vice President for Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. “Ford supports a ban on hand-held text messaging while driving – and we endorse the legislation introduced by Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) that would encourage a more rapid transition to hands-free and voice-activated technologies.”

The bill, H.R. 3535,  is officially called The Avoiding Life-Endangering and Reckless Texting by Drivers (ALERT Drivers) Act of 2009. It will required states to enact legislation that prohibits drivers from writing, sending and reading an instant message or email while driving. You can learn more about the bill as well as track, comment and share it at OpenCongress.com by clicking here.

“At Ford, we think driver distraction is a critically important issue,” said Sischke. “Drivers experience many different types of distractions on a daily basis. Drivers are going to have conversations, read maps and directions, and listen to music while they drive. The most complete and most recent research shows that activity that draws drivers’ eyes away from the road for an extended period while driving, such as text messaging, substantially increases the risk of accidents.”

One of the technologies that is available on some Ford models to help avoid distracted driving is the SYNC^TM system. Please see the fact sheet below to learn more about the features of SYNC.

SYNC Overview

This video demonstrates some of the things you can do with the Ford SYNC system.

In an effort to reduce teen crashes and fatalities in Michigan, the Ford Motor Company Fund and the Governors Highway Safety Association® are hosting a Ford Driving Skills for Life driving camp. This free, safe-driving event that goes well beyond typical driver education courses will be held at the Ford Michigan Proving Ground in Romeo Aug. 13-14. A sign of the program’s success, it is already overbooked, with more than 400 local teens planning on attending.

Participants will be given instruction on safe-driving techniques from some of the nation’s top professional driving instructors. They’ll also get to practice these techniques in a safe environment. The techniques will focus on four key skill areas: speed management, space management, vehicle handling and hazard recognition. Experts have identified the lack of these skills as the cause of approximately 60 percent of vehicle crashes for newly licensed drivers ages 16 to 19 years old.

In addition to the Ford Driving Skills for Life driving camp, Ford’s new MyKey^TM technology launches this summer to help parents encourage teenagers to drive safely through features that limit a vehicle’s top speed and audio volume, and encourage safety-belt usage.

Ford Driving Skills for Life driving camp was created in 2003 in partnership with the Governors Highway Safety Association. It is one of the nation’s most comprehensive teen driver safety programs. Ford’s MyKey feature allows owners to program a key that can limit the vehicle’s top speed and audio volume.

Andrew Sarkisian, part of the brainstorming team behind Ford’s MyKey technology, will participate in a live chat here on theFordStory.com Friday, August 14, to discuss the technology and how he was motivated by teen driving statistics, and by watching his own two teenage daughters.

Ford’s program also engages teens to promote driving safety with other teens, as they are the most influential voice with peers. For example, Ford Driving Skills for Life driving camp provided budgets to participating high school students in Nashville, Tenn., and Dearborn, Mich., for the creation of safe driving campaigns targeted to their classmates. The students made public service announcements, YouTube videos and posters, and hosted school assemblies – all with the aim of reducing dangerous driving behaviors.

Ford Driving Skills for Life driving camp reaches teens beyond the on-hands experience with an interactive Web site (www.drivingskillsforlife.com) that includes a learning module, quizzes, car care videos, driving tip videos, interactive games and an enhanced eco-driving curriculum. Free educator packets are available for students and parents, as well as for teachers and community programs.

Ford Taurus Safety Story

The new 2010 Taurus earned a Top Safety Pick based in part on a comprehensive package of crash-protection features, including dual-stage driver and front passenger air bags, side-impact air bags and Safety Canopy® – a Ford exclusive protection system featuring side curtain air bags that help protect front and rear outboard passengers in both rollover and side-impact crashes.

The new Taurus’ state-of-the-art side air bag systems use pressure pulses from a side impact and are designed to deploy up to 30 percent earlier than a traditional air bag system that uses acceleration-based sensors. Pressure-based sensors help predict crash forces before the full impact occurs and more accurately measure crash severity to better differentiate between a potentially dangerous air bag-deployable crash and common, relatively harmless daily abuse that would not require air bag protection.

Key safety features include:

·         Side Protection And Cabin Enhancement (SPACE®) Architecture is comprised of a hydroformed cross-car beam embedded in the floor between the door frames, providing additional strength in the side of the vehicle. In the event of a side impact, the beam helps divert crash forces away from the occupants. A strong roof crossmember and side-impact door beams work with the floor-mounted tube to further enhance side-impact protection. Ultra-high-strength boron steel has been added to the B-pillar as well.

·         Trinity Front Crash Architecture is a body structure optimized for strength and stiffness. The energy-absorbing structure features octagonal front frame rails, engine cradle/front subframe and “shotgun” front structural members designed to absorb and redirect crash forces away from the passenger compartment.

·         Personal Safety System™ is designed to help reduce the risk of injury to the driver and front seat passenger in the event of a moderate to severe frontal collision. Sensors note right front occupant weight, safety belt usage, outboard seat belt tension and seating position to optimize air bag deployment force for occupant safety.

·         AdvanceTrac® electronic stability control constantly monitors road conditions and the driver’s responses, using sensors to detect and measure oversteer and yaw, while continuously monitoring vehicle speed, throttle position and steering wheel angle. When the system senses a loss of wheel traction, engine torque is reduced and braking is applied in conjunction with the standard Anti-Lock Braking (ABS). The system also incorporates traction control to aid drivers when operating the vehicle on loose or slippery surfaces.

·         SOS Post-Crash Alert System™ is an integrated technology that automatically unlocks the doors and activates the emergency flashers in the event of air bag deployment.

More driver-aid and safety technologies

Tech-savvy customers will find plenty to like about the new 2010 Taurus. Its technologies enable customer connectivity, while fulfilling desires for personalization, customization and control. This list of driver-aid and safety features isn’t just technology for the sake of technology. These offerings have been selected and developed to provide the ultimate in comfort and convenience for the driver and all passengers:

·         Adaptive Cruise Control allows the driver to set the vehicle cruising speed while using radar technology to monitor traffic traveling up to 600 feet ahead, automatically adjusting Taurus speed to help maintain a safe distance between vehicles.

·         Collision Warning with Brake Support is a new active feature, enabled by Adaptive Cruise Control. This system uses a radar sensor to detect moving vehicles ahead and provides a visual “heads-up” warning signal transmitted across the base of the windshield and an audible warning when slower-moving traffic is detected ahead. The system also pre-charges the brakes and engages electronic brake assist to help the driver stop more quickly.

·         SecuriCode™ Keyless Entry Keypad enables vehicle access by unlocking the driver’s door using a five-digit code on the new keypad system flush-mounted in the driver’s side B-pillar.

·         MyKey™ allows parents or fleet administrators to activate a restricted driving mode. When enabled, MyKey features a Persistent Belt-Minder® with Audio Mute until safety belts are buckled, an earlier low-fuel warning and engaged AdvanceTrac® stability control, Blind Spot monitoring, Cross Traffic Alert and Forward Collision Warning. Additional programmability includes restrictions on audio volume, limiting top speed to 80 mph and speed chime warnings at 45, 55 or 65 mph.

·         Auto High Beams/Rain-Sensing Wipers harness sensor technologies to switch headlights to high intensity when no other vehicles are detected, in a range of up to 500 feet for taillight detection and up to 2,000 feet for oncoming headlight detection. Rain-sensing wipers use an advanced optical sensor to detect the intensity of rain and/or snowfall to adjust wiper speed.

·         Blind Spot Information System (BLIS®) consists of two multiple beam radar modules, one each per rear quarter panel. When the sensors detect an approaching vehicle entering the defined blind spot zone, an indicator alert provides warning to the driver in the corresponding side-view mirror.

·         Cross Traffic Alert uses the existing BLIS radar modules to sense oncoming traffic when slowly backing out of a parking spot. This industry-exclusive system functions only while the vehicle is in reverse and warns when cross-traffic is detected within three car widths.

·         Ford SYNC® is the fully integrated, in-vehicle voice-activated communications and entertainment system, with 911 Assist™, Vehicle Health Report and GPS-based features including business search and call completion. SYNC connects to MP3 players, iPods, memory sticks and PDAs. SYNC’s 911 Assist will place a call to a local emergency operator in the event of air bag deployment when a cell phone is properly paired, turned on and connected to SYNC, and the vehicle has battery power. The latest version of SYNC adds Traffic, Directions & Information, providing turn-by-turn route guidance and the ability to access content by personalized favorites such as region, subject matter or sports team.

·         Voice-Activated Navigation System with SIRIUS® Travel Link™ uses an eight-inch screen to present a bird’s-eye-view map with 3D landmarks. The system responds to voice commands for destination programming and route selection. In addition, it provides enhanced route guidance features such as street name announcements and detailed freeway exit, turn and ramp position lane guidance. The screen can be personalized with up to 32 pictures, sized up to 1.5 MB each. The system also incorporates the SIRIUS Travel Link, offering availability of current weather and ski conditions, a five-day forecast, local fuel pricing by cost per gallon and brand, sports scores and movie listings.

Ford Focus Safety Story

The 2009 Focus uses high strength steel throughout its structure, is loaded with six standard airbags – including side curtains and seat-mounted air bags – and comes with new front seats designed to perform well in dynamic rear impact collisions.

The Focus’ front seats are designed to help reduce the risk of soft tissue neck injuries, commonly referred to as “whiplash,” by keeping the occupant in the proper position in the event of a rear collision.  The head restraint and seatback work together to maintain the occupant’s alignment by supporting the head, neck and torso. This helps manage the crash forces and minimizes the chances of whiplash-type injuries.

Focus features Ford’s fully integrated, computer-driven Personal Safety System™, which employs nearly a dozen technologically advanced components.  It analyzes different frontal crash conditions and deploys the appropriate occupant protection systems for the specific crash conditions.

A new option for 2009 is electronic stability control (ESC), which uses sophisticated sensors and the anti-lock braking system to help drivers maintain control of their vehicle under a variety of driving conditions.

Later this summer, Ford will begin rolling out its innovative MyKey technology, which is designed to help parents encourage their teen-agers to drive safer and more fuel efficiently, and increase safety-belt usage.

The feature will debut as standard equipment on the 2010 Ford Focus and will quickly become standard on many other Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models.  It allows owners to program a key that can limit the vehicle’s top speed and audio volume.  MyKey also encourages safety-belt usage by muting the audio system until front occupants buckle up. 

Also setting the Focus coupe apart from other small cars is Ford’s industry-exclusive SYNC® technology, which is standard equipment on the SES and SEL series and optional on the SE. Ford SYNC, introduced first on the 2008 Focus, is a fully integrated, voice-activated communications and entertainment system allowing customers to operate their Bluetooth®-enabled cell phones and digital media players with voice commands.

Recent Ford telematics research shows that Ford SYNC hands-free system significantly reduces the level of distraction when drivers select a phone number or choose a song on their MP3 player compared with the same operations with hand-held cell phones and music players.  For example, reading a text message on a handheld phone typically took the driver’s eyes off the road for 11 seconds compared to about 2 seconds when listening to the text message with SYNC’s text-to-speech output.

Ford’s research is consistent with a prior Virginia Tech and the U.S. Department of Transportation study, which concluded that manually dialing a handheld device – a task that requires glancing away from the road – while driving was almost 2.8 times riskier than normal driving. However, the on-the-road study showed that talking/listening on a hands-free phone while driving was no riskier than normal driving.

Ford continues to build safety into small cars while leading industry efforts to make the bumper structures of larger vehicles such as crossovers, SUVs and pickups more crash compatible with the bumpers of smaller vehicles, including the 2009 Focus.

Ford was the first to market with crash structures to make passenger cars, such as the Focus, more compatible with SUVs.  Product design revisions make both types of vehicles more resistant to damage and less likely to cause damage in low-speed crashes.

Check out more of Ryan’s posts from the Fiesta Movement by clicking here. And you can catch up with all of the Fiesta Movement activities at Ford on Blogs on this Web site, or at fiestamovement.com.

Boron is used in: 

• Detergent
• Antiseptic
• Cosmetics
• Insecticide
• Enamel glaze
• Ceramics
• Glass
• Pyrotechnics
• Rocket fuel
• Flame retardant
• Nuclear reactors
• Punching tools
• Spades
• Knives and saw blades

Ford uses boron and other ultra-high-strength lightweight steels in various structural areas on several of its current models, including the Ford Taurus, Transit Connect, Flex, Mustang, F-150 and Focus, as well as the Lincoln MKS. Boron will also be extensively used in the all-new 2011 Ford Fiesta to help protect occupants in the event of a collision.

The Fiesta uses an exceptionally high level of cold- and hot-formed high-strength steels in its body structure. More than 50 percent of the body structure is high-strength steel, including grades of very high-strength, dual-phase steel and ultra-high-strength aluminized boron steel.

Yet, despite its additional strength, the all-new Fiesta body structure overall is lightweight. This means advancements in safety are achieved in harmony with fuel economy and CO₂ emissions.

Fiesta reinforcement

High-strength steels are used in areas of the 2011 Fiesta where structural strength and reinforcement are essential for crashworthiness. These include the floor structure, front rails and beams, and the vehicle’s integrated body-side reinforcement to help protect against side impact.

High-strength materials are used to create a very strong B-pillar section and a strong rocker section fore and aft in a crash. Impact loads are also transferred laterally to the opposite side of the car via underbody crossmembers to maximize dissipation of side-impact forces. This integrated body-side reinforcement resists side intrusion in the event of a collision and helps the body structure manage the energy of other impacts effectively – be they frontal, offset or rear.

Elements of the body-side reinforcement include the slim A-pillar forming the forward part of the vehicle’s stylish roof arch, the intrusion-resistant B-pillar, the rocker panels or lower rails to which the B-pillar is fixed, the stabilizing rocker baffles, side roof arch and the lower A-pillar.

These individual high-strength elements are formed into an integrated subassembly during manufacturing before they are joined to the vehicle on the production line. This process ensures better joint strength and a more efficient body structure.

High-strength steel can be found in other areas of the all-new Fiesta’s body structure, including:

The dual-phase steel front and side frame rails feature structural actuation points – or “trigger points” – to initiate predictable collapse in crush zones. Forming the triggers hardens the dual-phase material, giving it unique twin characteristics of energy absorption and energy resistance.

Under-floor structural beams – or “sled-runners” – also are formed from dual-phase steel, as are lateral floor reinforcements, which help manage front- and side-impact forces. Reinforcements in the vehicle’s roof, doors and floor are made from other gauges of high-strength steel, including boron steel beams.