Ford Mustang’s SYNC 3 Now Recognizes Chinese Handwriting
The Ford Mustang has quickly ascended to the position of China’s best-selling sports coupe, and to help keep it on top, the team at the automaker’s Research and Engineering Center in Nanjing have developed a new feature for the SYNC 3 infotainment system that allows drivers to hand-write Chinese characters on their touchscreens.
Prior to this development, Mustang drivers were only able to write on the in-vehicle touchscreen using phonetic spellings of Chinese words using the Roman alphabet, otherwise known as pinyin. Because pinyin is ostensibly a second language, and one that considerably slows down users’ ability to input words even with predictive technology, Ford developed the option to use Chinese characters as a means to aid its loyal customers.
“The Chinese version of SYNC 3 is far more than just a translation of a global technology,” said Fisher Xu, SYNC Supervisor for Ford Asia Pacific. “It’s really been localized to respond to a Chinese driver’s needs with a local point of view, from the voice commands that understand our accents and our habits, to the way we structure our statements.”
“For instance, when you talk to a friend in China and they ask where you are, they’re really looking for a building name or a point of interest, not a street number,” Xu added. “That’s probably different to other parts of the world, and SYNC 3 is smart enough to know this local preference, seamlessly.”
More on the Mustang: Refreshed 2018 Mustang Convertible revealed
Watch: Ford Mustang Recognizes Chinese Handwriting
The Mustang’s SYNC 3 system can also understand voice commands in Mandarin, which combines with the multi-modal handwriting function to make the pony car a more intuitive ride. The handwriting feature is also being made available in popular vehicles up to and including the Focus, Taurus Limited Edition, Edge, Kuga, and Explorer.
More Ford Tech: Next-gen Fusion Hybrid Autonomous Development Vehicle unveiled
The News Wheel is a digital auto magazine providing readers with a fresh perspective on the latest car news. We’re located in the heart of America (Dayton, Ohio) and our goal is to deliver an entertaining and informative perspective on what’s trending in the automotive world. See more articles from The News Wheel.