Ford Gets In Sync

Ford Motor Company(F) is expanding in Southeast Asia.It is building a plant in Thailand with its Mazda affiliate.The factory will produce 100,000 small cars a year.The 2008 Ford Focus,the automaker's smallest car,has received good marks for being predictable and steady on the road,with more comfortable front seats and a 3% more powerful engine than in previous versions.It is perhaps most remarkable for its debut of the Sync voice control system.Designed by Microsoft(MSFT),this voice-activated feature reads text messages to you from Blackberries and other devices while you are driving.The Sync system has received a Breakthrough Award from Popular Mechanics for setting benchmarks in design,creativity and engineering.Talks between Ford and the United Auto Workers union are in high gear,now that the UAW has reached agreements with General Motors and Chrysler.Because Ford carries a lot of debt and isn't as far along in its restructuring as GM and Chrysler,talks could be more difficult.As well,CEO Alan Mulally has a reputation for toughness,having endured a 28 day strike while he was working at Boeing(BA).Ford intends to sell its luxury brands in the next two months,and has hired away a marketing executive from Toyota Motors(TM).Having had a big loss in '06 and the worst sales decline among US automakers in '07,the old line company needs every leg up it can lift.Ford shares have been sparked by the UAW accords with the other automakers,while Microsoft shares have been bolstered by its global business and success with electronic games.Both stocks were trading up this morning.