Ford Motor Co. (F) and AccuWeather announced that they have joined forces to incorporate one of the country’s leading weather apps – AccuWeather MinuteCast – to the automaker’s in-car connectivity system, Ford SYNC AppLink. The MinuteCast technology will provide customers with the latest weather information on the road.
The technology will give drivers minute-by-minute forecasts for up to two hours to help them make safer driving decisions during bad weather. The MinuteCast technology provides constant information about precipitation type, intensity and duration by using an exact street address or GPS location.
The driver can select MinuteCast on the vehicle display menu, which will show an image of the weather condition that the driver will face, and the time the precipitation is expected to happen en route. The driver will also receive an audio warning. The service is available in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland and Japan.
Separately, Ford along with Life360 – the world’s largest family oriented location-sharing network – will enable family members to stay connected while on the road with the help of Drive Mode.
The AppLink-enabled Life360 gets started when the driver connects his or her smartphone to Ford SYNC via Bluetooth. The connection tells the app when the smartphone is in the car, which prompts the Drive Mode feature to send a message to everyone in the driver’s Life360 circle suggesting not to text the driver.
Ford SYNC offers voice-activated control of mobile phones and allows drivers to make and receive calls, and operate other features hands-free using voice commands. Ford SYNC AppLink allows customers to connect their smartphone to their vehicle and control their compatible apps using voice commands or buttons on the vehicle display. Using Life360, the drivers can find the latest location of family members through the SYNC display or with voice commands.
Currently, Ford carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Investors interested in the auto industry could consider better-ranked stocks like Douglas Dynamics, Inc. (PLOW), Gentex Corp. (GNTX) and PACCAR Inc. (PCAR). While Douglas sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Gentex and PACCAR carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
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