Ford Thailand Leads the Way in Building a Safer Future with “Caring for Tomorrow”
• Ford Thailand launches “Caring for Tomorrow,” an event promoting public awareness of safety technologies and safe driving habits
• Being held at CentralWorld from 20-21 June, event invites drivers to pledge to drive safely for their loved ones
• Ford is also offering a sneak peek into the future of safety and driver assistance technologies that showcases how innovative technologies can benefit drivers
Bangkok, Thailand, 20 June 2014 – Ford is leading the way in developing new technologies for millions of customers worldwide, including advanced active and passive safety features, providing both first time and experienced drivers with safer lifestyle choices and peace of mind.
As part of this, Ford Thailand today kicked off its “Caring for Tomorrow” event, a forum that showcases Ford’s present and future safety technologies which are designed to enhance safety, help improve the driving experience and assist drivers with challenging traffic conditions, all at affordable prices.
“Globally, including here in Thailand, Ford is recognized for high safety standards that consumers can rely on. However, most drivers are not familiar with the wide range of our safety innovations and their benefits,” said Yukontorn Wisadkosin, managing director, Ford Thailand.
“Ford is organizing this ‘Caring for Tomorrow’ event to help educate Thai consumers about our safety technologies, with the hope that participants will apply their newfound knowledge of safe driving habits and contribute to safer roads and a safer tomorrow,” added Yukontorn.
Experiencing Smart and Safety Innovations
At the “Caring for Tomorrow” event, Ford is demonstrating how premium advanced features and technologies can assist drivers with challenging traffic conditions. Through the event, Ford urges consumers to drive safely for the sake of their loved ones, and consider technologies that can help them do so.
Participants will learn about Adaptive Cruise Control, which helps drivers maintain a safe following distance; and Ford SYNC, which allows drivers to stay connected while keeping their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.
Parents will appreciate the hands-on demonstration of MyKey, an industry-first technology that allows parents to program a key for younger drivers that limits top speed, reduces maximum radio volume, disables the radio until the seatbelts are fastened, and prevents deactivation of driver assistance and safety technologies. Apart from providing peace of mind to parents, MyKey gives younger drivers freedom while encouraging them to be more responsible and safer drivers behind the wheel.
Stepping into demonstration vehicles, visitors will try Active City Stop, which is designed to mitigate and, in certain circumstances, avoid low-speed rear-end collisions with stationary or slower-moving traffic in front. Newcomers to Active Park Assist will enjoy the exciting experience of having the car steer itself into a parallel parking space. The technology is designed to take the hassle out of parallel parking.
Visitors also have the opportunity to try on the innovative tools that help Ford engineers to understand the needs of customers with specific mobility issues, including the Pregnancy Suit, the Third Age Suit and the Drunk Driving Suit, which help to simulate the restricted movement of pregnant women and older people, and the inefficiency of drunk drivers respectively.
At the conclusion of the tour, all participants will be invited to make a safety pledge, recognizing their individual responsibility to keep roads safe.
“Road safety relies on good driver habits in addition to safe vehicles,” explained Yukontorn. “With the safety pledge, and by emphasizing safety through our various programs including Driving Skills for Life, we’re working hard to make the roads safer for all Thais.”
The Future of Safety
“Even before demand exists, Ford engineers are brainstorming ideas for safety technologies that we won’t see deployed for another 10, 15, 20 years,” said Dr. Pim van der Jagt, managing director of the European Ford Research Center and executive technical leader, Global Vehicle Dynamics, Driver Assistance and Active Safety Systems.
“We are developing the safety and smart innovations of tomorrow and making them accessible to our customers. We are not just making smarter and safer vehicles, but also contributing to a better future.”
One vision that Ford is helping to make a reality is vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication.
“In the coming years, we may see more services based on two-way V2V communication systems, allowing cars to communicate with each other about driving and traffic conditions, even when they are out of sight of each other,” explained van der Jagt. “In the longer term, we hope to see widespread use of V2I systems, allowing cars to talk to infrastructure and traffic management systems. The result could be safer roads, improved mobility, reduced emissions and fuel consumption.”
“Ford Motor Company has a history of pioneering technology. From the introduction of the moving assembly line 100 years ago to the advanced safety and convenience features we offer today, to the technologies we are developing for the drivers of tomorrow, we are continuing to define the future of mobility,” said Yukontorn.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 183,000 employees and about 65 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit
http://corporate.ford.com.
