Canadian Ford owners will
be able to receive service reminders, track their vehicles’ maintenance records,
and obtain recall and warranty information online in the familiar Sympatico environment
thanks to an agreement announced today between Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited,
and Sympatico-Lycos.
"The Internet provides
the opportunity to be more innovative as we improve the level of service, convenience
and satisfaction delivered to our customers," said Dean Tesser, Director,
ConsumerConnect, Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. "By partnering
with one of Canada’s most popular Web portals, we can better connect with Ford
owners anywhere, anytime."
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Sympatico, which has 3.5
million unique visitors, generating over 100 million page views each month,
will now feature Ford of Canada’s OwnerConnection online service. Once registered
on OwnerConnection, Ford owners have password-protected access to dynamic Web
pages customized to each owner and his/her vehicle. For example, Ford owners
can use the Maintenance Schedule Calculator – an online tool which determines
what maintenance is recommended, when, based on the individual owner’s driving
habits and type of vehicle.
"Sympatico and Ford
of Canada have teamed up to make it as easy as possible to take care of your
car or truck. As a trusted online agent, Sympatico offers users the ability
to manage their life online," said Veronica Holmes, Vice-President, Product
Management at sympatico.ca. "This agreement enables both Ford of Canada
and Sympatico-Lycos to benefit from their respective leading positions in Canada,"
added Holmes.
Today marked the launch
of the first phase of this online alliance. A guide to keeping children safe
in vehicles, called Precious Cargo, is now available on the sympatico.ca home
page and features everything from tips on child safety seats to games for keeping
young minds occupied on long trips. Early next year, Ford owners will be able
to receive their service reminders and other OwnerConnection services directly
through their mysympatico.ca customized Web pages.
About Sympatico-Lycos
Sympatico-Lycos Inc. is Canada’s leader on the Internet. With its flagship properties
such as: www.sympatico.ca., www.montrealplus.ca,
calgaryplus.ca, www.toronto.com,
www.canada411.ca and www.yellowpages.ca,
Sympatico-Lycos Inc. is Canada’s leading Web Communications, Community and Media
Company (http://www.sympatico.ca). The
Sympatico-Lycos Network is a unified set of Web sites, attracting a diverse
audience by offering a variety of services such as Web search and navigation
directories and city information, and personal home page building. Sympatico-Lycos
Inc. is a joint company owned by Bell ActiMedia and Lycos Inc., with offices
in Toronto and Montreal. Bell ActiMedia is a Bell Canada subsidiary responsible
for its Internet portal strategy.
About Ford
Ford of Canada is Canada’s
longest-established automobile company with three vehicle assembly plants, five
manufacturing plants and 565 dealerships located in all provinces. Ford’s Canadian
operations employ nearly 16,000 people and an additional 22,400 are employed
in dealerships.
Ford Motor Company has consistently
led the auto industry in e-business initiatives. Recent developments include
the company’s involvement in establishing the world’s largest virtual marketplace
with its online supplier exchange, becoming the only auto company to provide
employees worldwide with Internet access at home, and in Canada, being the first
auto manufacturer to give customers the power to configure a vehicle online.
