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Adding Sync to its lineup has been a great move for Ford, helping to boost sales of the Focus by 54,000 units in 2008, among other models. Ford plans to offer Sync across its entire lineup next year, but demand is so great that Dearborn is creating aftermarket kits for some 2008 cars without it. The system has been eyed by other automakers with envy, but Ford's exclusivity agreement has prevented Microsoft from licensing the technology. Now, however, another automaker will finally get to join the party: Hyundai has inked an agreement with Microsoft to develop a next-generation infotainment system for its cars.

Hyundai and Microsoft had been working on the deal for two years, and they anticipate that the new, Sync-like system will be available in the Korean automaker's lineup by 2010. Starting as a platform for cell phones before expanding to multimedia and navigation devices, Microsoft says it will also be upgradable via software updates -- a first for in-car entertainment systems. Unlike the current platform sold by Ford (and Fiat in Europe), this next-generation system won't have an exclusivity clause, meaning Microsoft can license it to other automakers. Currently there's no word on what Hyundai will call it.

Hyundai plans to develop the system so it can be installed throughout their lineup, including on Kia models. This means that like Sync, it will most likely be compatible with navigation screens, but won't require them to work. Currently Sync's popularity is not just due to its technical sophistication, but also because it's cheap. As an option it costs just $395, far less than many competing automaker's infotainment systems. Hopefully as Microsoft licenses their technology to other companies, the affordable price point will stay the same.

Source: PR Newswire