Super Bowl weekend isn’t just any old weekend; it’s the showdown of the year.  With only two of 32 teams given the rare opportunity to step on the field, we can’t guaranty everyone will be a fan of either team, but rather a fan of the game.  With bleacher report reporting that between 40-45% of people with televisions will tune in and over 150 million people expected to watch the game from over 232 counties and territories. The battle for commercial dominance is only part of what makes this day so great.

Commercial Chaos

The Super Bowl might only have two teams battling it out on the field but when it comes to commercials the battles are unrelenting and everywhere. With every major company fighting for their shot at commercial legacy, the Super Bowl stands strong as the only time throughout the year we anticipate those 30 second bits. The automotive powerhouses are no different, companies like Ford, Chevy, Toyota, Chrysler, Kia and Volkswagen will showcase their creative minds right alongside everyone else.

With this year’s 30 second slot going for 3.5 million the pressure is on for these auto makers to create a memorable and funny commercial.  With so much pressure and global presence on the line the question then becomes which one of these automotive powerhouses, come Sunday night, will claim Super Bowl XLVI legacy? And which ones will shamefully call in sick to their Monday morning meeting the following day?

Sunday Sneak Peak

Only Sunday will tell what the ultimate outcome will be for these top companies, but here is what’s expected from each auto maker via Superbowl Ads:

• Chevy is taking a more direct stab at the Ford Motor Company with a commercial depicting a man driving out of an apocalyptic world, predicted by the Mayan calendar,  but his friend who drives a Ford doesn’t make it out alive.
• Ford: because of the context of the above commercial I’m having doubts that Chevy actually watched this viral YouTube video of the F-150 that actually came out of an apocalyptic scene this past summer.
• Toyota will be advertising during the Super Bowl for the first time in three years with a feel good commercial of its new 2012 Camry.
• Chrysler plans to continue their unique trend of two minute commercials this Sunday. The two minute commercial has been growing in popularity over the years and this will be the second consecutive year Chrysler has gone this route. The ad is expected to be a pep talk to the country from none other than, The Client Eastwood.
• Kia is taking a more social approach utilizing the fan base of celebrities like Adriana Lima, Motley Crue and MMA fighter Chuck Liddell. They plan on having their commercial go viral and think utilizing the fan base of celebrities is the way to go.
• VW is making a follow up to their last Super Bowl Commercial “The Force.” This year though it seems to be a bit of an odd commercial called “The Dog Strikes Back.” The original is 75 seconds long but will be cut down to 60 seconds in time for the game. The plot of the commercial is how the new 2012 Beetle inspire Bolt (the dog) to get in shape and is expected to have a surprise appearance by a superstar.

Commercials = Super Bowl

The thrill of the big game and the excitement and joy of cheering on your favorite team to victory is only part of what makes this American tradition so great. Those 30 second chances for glory in-between those passes, runs and touchdowns are the other side of what makes the Super Bowl such an exciting event. It’s the cleaver, jaw dropping and sometimes humorous commercials that makes the biggest sporting event in the world one of America’s greatest products.

Over the years, the Super bowl commercials have become nearly as popular as the game itself (more popular for some who “don’t really do football”). Memories like the lobster holding the Budweiser Beer Hostage, the WAAZAAAP! craze, and Darth Vader’s mini-me starting the Volkswagen with The Force have raised the bar for Super Bowl commercials.

The real question is what will we see this year? Will it be the unveiling of a flying car, car autopilot, or just a bunch of hilarious side splitters? No matter the case we’ll have to wait until Sunday and the following Monday when everybody quotes the best commercials.

While my only advertising experience comes from Don Draper on Madmen I do have one piece of advice for this weekends commercial makers. Be original, 1 million dollars a slot is a lot of money to be using the same commercial designs we have seen the past five years.

When someone asks me, what’s your favorite feature of your car (a 2011 Ford Fusion Sport), it’s not the powerful 263 horsepower 3.5L V6 under the hood. It’s not the sport-tuned suspension or 18 inch aluminum wheels. It’s not the white stitching accented leather seats or multi color ambient lighting package. What is it you say? (Hint: read the title)

It’s Microsoft SYNC.

Now I’ve never really been a fan of hands-free systems in vehicles. When I think of them, I think of hard to use interfaces and voice recognition systems that don’t understand a word you say. Well, SYNC is neither of those things. From placing phone calls to managing your music, SYNC makes the driving experience easier and more enjoyable. Here are some of my favorite features so far.

Bluetooth Audio

This is BY FAR my favorite feature of the SYNC system. By using the Bluetooth connection between my iPhone and SYNC, music can be streamed wirelessly through the speakers in the car. You can even use the steering wheel controls to change songs. Awesome.

Phone Calls

Probably the meat and potatoes of SYNC, this feature is super easy to use. By pressing the voice button, you simply tell the car who to call. It’s that easy. And if there is more than one number for that contact, it’ll ask which one it should call. Nine times out of ten the car understands what I’m saying (some names are even hard for me to understand), and reacts very quickly to the request.

Phone Redial

I got so excited when I found this one. How many times have you tried to get a hold of someone who doesn’t answer and your only option is to call them back over and over again until you reach them? Well SYNC makes this easier. Instead of telling the car to call that person, just press the phone button twice, then OK twice. Easy redial.

USB Support

What doesn’t have a USB port these days? Hidden away in the center console is a port for a USB device. Take any USB device (flash drive, iPod/iPhone connector, etc.) and plug it in. Instant voice control of the music contents of the device. Song information will be displayed on the radio. You can use voice control to select artists, songs, genres, albums, and playlists all by voice.

These are only a few of the awesome features of SYNC. If you want to learn more about SYNC, give our myTech Team a call at 513-932-1010 ext. 127 or by email at mytechteam@lebanon-ford.com

The Dearborn Truck Plant or DTP as it is commonly referred to in the automotive industry, is this week’s star of National Geographic hit show; Ultimate Factories. Built from the ground up in 2003, this 2.6 million square feet plant produces 10 of the 11 Ford F-150’s including the incredible Ford Raptor. DTP is Ford’s next generation flagship plant bringing Henry Ford’s manufacturing vision to the twenty first century.

State of the art

When it comes to efficiency and quality Ford’s Dearborn Truck Plant, which has over 4 miles of track, is definitely in a class of its own. By adopting Henry Ford’s lean manufacturing process and pairing it with the latest technology, they’ve been able to achieve the impossible while still maintaining Fords quality promise.

Just-in-time and vehicle-sequencing are just a few of the state of the art technologies that will be touch on during the show. Together they help navigate the over 4 miles of track throughout the plant, making it as seamless and efficient as possible. While these state of the art technologies give Ford the ability to produce more than 1,200 cars a day, they are only part of the equation to Fords desire to be more efficient and environmentally friendly.

Environmentally Friendly

When Ford set out to make this ultimate factory they had one goal in mind; improve efficiency and quality while embracing the environment. They’ve done this by utilizing many cool, unique and record breaking ideas. In fact their 10.4 acre living roof is an engineering marvel and stands as the largest of its kind in the world! Here is a breakdown of this amazing feat brought you by media.ford.com :

• The Dearborn Truck Plant’s living roof is 10.4 acres of sedum, a drought-resistant perennial groundcover, planted into a specially layered bed.
• Dearborn Truck’s living roof absorbs rainwater and carbon dioxide, plus reduces energy costs by helping to insulate the final assembly building.
• The living roof will last twice as long as a traditionally constructed roof.
• Dearborn Truck Plant’s living roof has earned a Guinness World Records^TM designation as the World’s Largest Living Roof!

With a world record already under Ford and DTP’s belt you would assume most companies would just call it a day on their, “Go-Green effort” but not Ford. This is just one of the many ways they are bringing you the number one selling truck in America while maintaining the promise of protecting what makes this world great.

In most situations, people are pretty humble. They don’t walk around bragging about their jobs, purchases or lives in general (…usually). But there’s one area in which nobody has a problem saying, “I’m the best.” Driving. Even the worst drivers in your life (and don’t rule yourself out yet) might claim they are perfectly good drivers. Why do we take such pride in being a good driver? Perhaps it is simple, and we just want people to feel comfortable riding with us. Perhaps it is more complex. Either way, this type of ego is the most dangerous of all because people with driver’s ego often think themselves invincible on the road, increasing their chances for an accident. For example, picture the car flying down the fast lane over 20 mph over the speed limit, switching lanes on a whim. Probably doesn’t think he (or she’s) too bad of a driver.

It’s time to pop the ego

Evaluate your driving habits. How many accidents or near mishaps have been “somebody else’s fault”? The sooner we can pop our own drivers’ egos, the sooner we can look out for our own weak spots as drivers. Maybe we are still confused about how that four way stop is really supposed to work and we just kind of go when it feels right. Maybe we get nervous turning left on intersections or merging into oncoming traffic on the highway. Either way, it’s important to acknowledge that we are not all the most amazing drivers, and we should stop pretending we are to improve our weaknesses.

Everyone loves to personalize their belongings, and cars are no exception. If this weren’t true then why would we have so many color and trim options to choose from? So if drivers like to have their vehicle represent their likes and personality, then why would the technology that comes with it be any different?

Getting Started

When you sign up for a syncmyride.com account, you unlock something called SYNC Services which you can access while in your vehicle. If you don’t already have an account, check out our article on how to get started. Services allows you to access a load of features from directions to checking movie listings. Today we will be showing how to bundle those features into a favorites menu for easy access.

Using Your Voice

1. Activate Services in your vehicle to get started.
2. Select a service you wish to access (Sports, News, Weather, ect.)
3. After the system finishes reading off the service you selected you can press the Voice Button and say “Add to favorites”. That service will then be added to your favorites list.

Using Your Account

When you are using your account to personalize your Services you will be able to do more than just add services to your Favorites list. You will also have the ability to save points for your turn-by-turn directions and set up traffic notifications.

1. When you log on to your account you will see that your SYNC Services is currently active. Next to where it says “Active” you will see a little box, in that box click “Personalize Services”
2. Select what services you wish to personalize “Traffic & Directions” or “Information”.

If you click “Traffic & Directions” you will be able save points for your turn-by-turn directions and set up your phone to get notifications of changed traffic flow to saved points. If you click “Information” you will be able to select services you wish to add to your Favorites list.

Once you are happy with your Favorites list you access it when you activate Services in you vehicle and saying “Favorites” when prompted. You will then be able to access all of your saved services quickly and easily.

Contact Us

If you have any questions regarding SYNC Services, give myTech Team a call at 513-932-1010 ext. 127 or write us an email at mytechteam@lebanon-ford.com.

This weekend the Low Tire Pressure indicator on my dashboard lite up. Being the handy man I am (those who know me know this isn’t true) I took it upon myself to correct this issue by pumping air into my tires at a local gas station. The particular air station I used was free but didn’t have a tire gauge connected to the pump. Nor did I have one handy in my glove box. So what did I do? I decided I’d eyeball the tire pressure (quit laughing). After about 15 minutes of pumping air into my tires the low pressure light inside my Ford Fusion Sport was still lit.

Sometimes less is better

Because I couldn’t figure out of the root of the problem I decided I’d run it by our Lebanon Quick Lane center the next day. Brought it in and one of the technicians took a look at it, walked back in and asked “do you know what the recommended psi was for my tires”? I obviously replied, no. “Well you see it’s rated at 35 psi, your two back tires were measured at 30, your front passenger side 40 and your driver side wheel 70 psi.” said the technician. 70 psi! Literally double the recommended amount.

Here was my reaction

Moral of the Story

Get yourself a tire gauge. Seriously, Here’s where you can buy one. I just purchased one myself and consider myself pretty lucky nothing seriously wrong happened to me or to someone else due to my mechanical ignorance.

Gone are the old days (rightly so) when men took women to do their shopping, negotiating, and purchasing of cars. According to a recent NPR news piece, Leasetrader.com conducted a study and found that women generally get better deals on cars than men do. Auto dealers and websites alike have noticed that women know what cars they want and what prices are reasonable for those cars.

The reason for women’s sales success? Asking the right questions, and sometimes asking different questions than men. The study showed that women care less about the vehicle’s engine and aesthetics and more about safety and function. Function that would, perhaps, allow for a specific spot for a woman to put her purse? Yes, I think so. Function that would not sacrifice style for enough room to haul around 3 children? Definitely. If women are willing and able (obviously) to negotiate showrooms, then vehicle designers need to step up and meet their needs.

Organizations such as Heels & Wheels are encouraging and supporting women in the vehicle purchasing market, and pushing for more female involvement in car design. Their website states that at least 60 percent of car purchases are made by women, and gives off a “female power” impression that says bringing your father or husband to the showroom to do your negotiating is a thing of the past.

As you may recall, I can be a bit of an angry driver at times. Not because I’m an angry person in general, but because a lot of times when it comes to driving, people seem to forget about one little thing…

EVERYONE ELSE ON THE ROAD.

Even worse at times are the people who are sitting right next to you. Now when I’m a passenger in a car (which is very rare, I hate being driven around), I like to think I’m a very respectful copilot. The driver is in control; I am merely just a guest along for the ride. Unfortunately, this view is not as widely adopted as it should be.

With that in mind, I give you the 5 rules of the passenger seat.

DON’T Touch the Radio

This rule only applies if you haven’t previously been asked something like “What would you like to listen to?” or “Go ahead and put on what you’d like.” Other than those two things, the radio and the music being listened to is completely up to the driver. Don’t like my music? You are more than welcome to ask for a song change or suggest a new song, but under no circumstance should you take it upon yourself to control the radio. Exception: If the passenger receives a phone call while music is on, he/she is allowed to turn down the volume. Once call is finished, driver may start song over.

DON’T Be a Driving Coach

Look, we all went through the same drivers education course. We both suffered through horrible in-car driving sessions. But those days are over and you aren’t my dad, so unless I’m doing something dangerous, keep your “driving tips” to yourself. Yes, I will turn right at this red light when it’s safe. No, I will not go any faster than the speed limit on the highway. And no, I most certainly will not pick up that homeless person.

DON’T Eat in the Car

There is something about having a clean car that just makes everything in the world seem right. Maybe you share the same emotional connection to your car like I do, maybe you don’t, but the last thing I want is to find an old french-fry of yours wedged between the seat and the floor board the next time I go to vacuum. Drinks (with lids) are OK, but almost all foods are off limits. Plus, it’ll make me hungry, so unless you have something to share (and by share I mean watch me eat), save it for later.

DON’T Sit in the Back Seat (when no one is in the front)

This one should go without saying, but I’ve had it happen a couple of times. First of all, it’s extremely awkward. You can’t really have a conversation with someone sitting in the back. And unless I’m wearing a suit and asking, “Where would you like to go next?” in a British accent, don’t leave the front seat vacant. I’m not your chauffeur, nor do I want to be. Plus, there’s more room up here. So please, come join me.

DON’T Touch the Steering Wheel, Horn, or Shifter

I can’t believe I really even need to say this one, but surprisingly it has also happened. First of all, reaching over in to the operating area of the vehicle is extremely dangerous. And contrary to popular belief, the horn is not a toy. And for the love of God, when I’m going 45, or any speed for that matter, don’t try to put the car in park, it will make a loud noise and I will probably definitely yell at you (yes, I’ve had this happen, it wasn’t fun).

So if you follow these simple guidelines, you can be sure we’ll have a pleasant car ride experience. It’s that easy. Oh, and these rules do not apply when I am the passenger in my own vehicle or on dates. Any other situation is fair game.

Do you have your own set of rules for passengers in your vehicle? Leave some comments below and let us know your thoughts!

A recent law was proposed in Kansas that would require electric car owners to be taxed a special electricity “fuel” tax. Lawmakers fear that electric car owners are dodging taxes placed on other fuel sources (like gasoline and ethanol). Proposals on how the tax will be issued vary, from a separate meter to be used at an owner’s home through adding a tax onto an owner’s monthly bill. While it is uncertain on how this tax will be collected what is for certain is that electric car owners are “missing out” on taxes that other Americans pay.

While I agree that taxes are a necessary evil in this country, when I hark back on my freshman year psychology class, isn’t a tax on electric car owners fuel use an example of punishment when we really should be encouraging more drivers to use alternative fuel sources?

What do you think, is a tax on electric car owners’ electric consumption sending the wrong message? Is this tax a punishment or just something all Americans have do?

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