New vehicles to integrate more hands-free tech

(NEWSCHANNEL 3) – Detroit's big automakers are hoping to make big strides in 2010, and their future is on display in the Motor City.

It's not just about the new models, it's also about what can be found inside those new vehicles.

One way American automakers hope to bounce back is to do a better job of hooking up their four-wheel technology with hand-held technology.

"What we've seen with younger consumers is there is an expectation that they are connected all of the time," said Chantel Williams of Ford Motor Company.

Ford is introducing new products to help customers stay connected on the road.

"We are actually able to use Sync to connect to the applications running on your phone," said Julius Marchwicki of Ford Motor Company.

That includes twitter, and internet radio applications like Pandora and Stitcher.

"So what we've allowed our customers to do, is when they bring their phone with that application into the car it will just work inside of Sync seamlessly," said Marchwicki.

Ford is the first to launch a version of the technology, but it's not alone. The Chevy Volt will also be able to communicate with smart phones, and auto-supplier Denso, which has a facility in Battle Creek, is working on its own Sync technology called Blue Harmony.

"It speaks to you, it can read you your news, your information coming in that is live,' said Craig Matichuk of Denso Systems. "The weather reports, anything can be spoken to you, as well as you can speak to it to request that information."

And having the technology hands-free means less driving distractions.

"It's positioned to allow customers to do the things they want to do," said Marchwicki, "like talk on the phone and listen to their mp3 player, but allowing you to control them with your voice. So the voice button is not far away from your hand, it's on the steering wheel, so you never, never have to take your eyes off the road."