subject: The Clarion Voice-Activated Navigation System, Available in New Ford Cars, Ranks Highest in J.D. Power 2010 Study 2 Years in a Row [print this page] The Clarion Voice-Activated Navigation System, Available in New Ford Cars, Ranks Highest in J.D. Power 2010 Study 2 Years in a Row
According to PRNewswire, the Clarion factory-installed voice-activated navigation systems that are available in new Ford cars such as the Ford Fusion, ranked "highest satisfaction" in J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Navigation Usage and Satisfaction Study for the second year in a row. The navigation system used in the Ford Fusion received high marks for clear voice directions, speed of the device and the ease of use and voice recognition.
The Clarion navigation system in the new Ford Flex ranks second, followed by the Ford Taurus and the Lincoln MKS. In fact, Clarion systems in selected Ford and Lincoln models landed six of the top 10 positions and received the highest marks from consumers for system appearance, navigation display screen, speed of system and routing. These Clarion navigation systems were co-developed with Ford and installed in twenty-two 2010 model year vehicles.
The Ford Motor Company is a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company manufactures and distributes autos across six continents and employs about 163,000 people at about 70 plants worldwide. The company's auto brands include Ford, Lincoln and Mercury. The Clarion Corporation of America, based in Cypress, California is a subsidiary of the Hitachi Group, an international leader in car audio and electronics since 1940. The company researches, develops, engineers, designs and manufactures mobile entertainment navigation, communications, safety and security products for autos world-wide.
The J.D. Power study was based on answers from over 17,000 consumers who recently bought or leased 2010 Ford or Lincoln models with the navigation system installed. In the press release on PRNewswire, Jim Buczkowski, director of Global Electrical and Electronics Systems Engineering for Ford Motor Company stated, "providing advanced Infotainment and Navigation systems offering customers the most important real-time information requires an intense focus on the Human Machine Interface (HMI). It's not just about offering the latest and greatest features and technologies. The features must be presented in a way that keeps a driver's eyes on the road and hands on the wheel while benefiting from the additional value the features provide."
Clarion has received seven awards from J.D. Power and Associates all together during the past five years for either in-dash navigation or multimedia systems. This was the third award they received for their factory-installed navigation systems. The company has also been the recipient of other numerous awards for design innovation, support, manufacturing and product reliability over the years. According to the press release, "Clarion is proud to be honored with this award for the second straight year," said Tom Hayashi, President of Clarion Corporation of America. "We strive to capitalize on our strong customer relationships to deliver market-leading products like the Ford navigation system."
According to the J.D. Power and Associates study, more consumers are beginning to make navigation systems part of their everyday lives. The study also identified the seven important factors that contribute to overall customer satisfaction when dealing with navigation systems. These factors include, ease of use, system routing, navigation system display, system appearance, voice recognition, voice directions and speed of the system. J.D. Power and Associates also measured the quality of the systems by looking at the number of problems per 100 navigation systems. A lower score means fewer problems and higher quality in this case.
The voice-activated navigation system was a result of a collaboration between Ford and Clarion and was created specifically for the Ford customer. The two companies got customer feedback from various automotive studies to help make decisions on what would be best for the average Ford consumer. Other studies such as the one conducted by J.D. Power and Associates will continue to help the two companies provide systems that customers are consistently happy with. By listening to the customer, the brands are able to build and maintain strong customer relationships, which in turn, bring success to the products they provide.
