DETROIT – Ford Sync, the in-vehicle, voice-activated technology and entertainment system developed in partnership with Microsoft, is this year’s “People’s Voice” award winner at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Visitors to CNET, an Internet-based media company covering the unveilings this week at the 40th CES, voted Ford Sync, powered by Microsoft Auto, as the most significant new product introduced at the show. Tim Nixon, manager of technology development and implementation engineering at Ford, said the “People’s Voice” honor is actually the second received by Sync in Las Vegas this week, having already earned the “Editor’s Choice” award from Popular Mechanics magazine. Sync allows consumers to bring nearly any mobile phone or digital media player into their vehicles and operate them by voice command or by using the steering wheel or radio controls. “With Sync, you can travel with your Zune or iPod and access its features using the vehicle’s controls, and the full capability of your Bluetooth cell phone will be just a voice command away,” said Mark Fields, Ford executive vice president, to media members gathered at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) at Sync’s Detroit reveal. “We’re going to roll it out quickly and affordably in 12 new vehicles, starting with the 2008 Ford Focus, because the market potential is absolutely enormous.” Sync will also debut later this year on the 2008 Ford Fusion, Five Hundred, Edge, Freestyle, Explorer, and Sport Trac, along with the Mercury Milan, Montego, Mountaineer, and on the Lincoln MKX and MKZ. The technology, exclusive to Ford Motor Company through 2008, will be expanded to all Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles in the near future.