While Ford has previously announced that the 2012 Mustang will come standard with Sync AppLink, the Shelby GT500 has also been added to the list. The AppLink software provides industry-exclusive hands-free voice control capability of smartphone apps.

First introduced for the 2011 Fiesta, AppLink was offered to owners as a download and proved well accepted with owners for popular mobile apps, such as Pandora internet radio. Pandora is reportedly one of the top five most used apps across all four major smartphone platforms in the U.S.A.

A recently released Emerging Technologies study by J.D. Power and Associates reports that 86 percent of smartphone owners say they use their device while in their vehicles.

“We understand more and more drivers are using their devices and their apps while in the car,” said Doug VanDagens, director of Ford Connected Services Solutions. “Ford is a part of the solution, offering voice-activated options such as Ford SYNC with AppLink on a broader range of our products, which gives more customers a smarter way to access their apps while driving that keeps their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.”

Ford has a direct connection to the app developer community through its dedicated SYNC developer website. Using Ford-supplied tools, developers can modify an existing app or create a new app to can successfully interface with Ford SYNC through AppLink. App categories currently under Ford consideration include personalized entertainment, personalized information and news, plus location-based services including navigation, traffic and business searches.

More sophisticated apps could include notifications and alerts leveraging the SYNC ability to combine vehicle information, GPS locations and more to provide the driver with customized information and guidance, and scheduling and planning apps that could include notifications of flight status.

During the next four years, Ford’s global Connected Services team is anticipated to grow by a factor of four, with a threefold jump planned for U.S. operations alone.