Mulally Keynote Opens CES

CES 2010 began Thursday with the Opening Keynote Address given by Alan Mulally, President and CEO, Ford Motor Co.

Mulally spoke of Ford's excellence in the automobile industry, boasting that the company has been awarded best in class in quality, safety, fuel efficiency and smart technology.

He also spoke of Ford's SYNC in-vehicle system that helps minimize driver distraction by connecting and controlling in-car features by voice. Customers have the opportunity to connect with family members, chat with their children, scan their iPods, etc., all while keeping their hands on the whee and keeping them safe.

“We believe that we are improving convenience and safety through voice control, and this is very important to us and to our customers,” said Mulally.

Jim Buczkowski, Ford Motor Co., then explained Ford's new MyFord Touch driver connect technology. He talked about how the company has learned what consumers want and need in their vehicle and came up with the Ford Five Guidelines, which include:

1 – 5-way controllers

2 – People love LCD screens

3 – Color conveys functionality

4 – Logically organized information

5 – Relevent information only

The MyFord Touch redesigns the driver's interface with the car, matching modern consumer electronics screens and controls that have become the standard for ease-of-use and rich graphic displays. In addition, it organizes functions and settings with minimal menu layering for quick access, minimizing driver distraction.

“MyFord Touch, combined with new SYNC functionality, creates an experience that will cause people to fall in love with their vehicles again,” said Derrick Kuzak, Ford Group Vice President, Global Product Development.