DETROIT and NEW YORK -- Ford Motor Co. is expanding its availability of Sirius Satellite Radio as a dealer-installed option. It is targeting up to 20 vehicle lines for factory installations over the next two years.
Ford, Mercury and Lincoln now offer Sirius Satellite Radio as a dealer-installed option on nine models. Beginning this fall, four additional models will be included -- Ford Escape, Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis and the all-new Mercury Mariner. The feature is currently available on the Ford Explorer, Sport Trac, Expedition and Thunderbird, the Mercury Mountaineer, the Lincoln LS, Aviator, Navigator and Town Car.
Over the next two model years -– 2006 and 2007 -– Ford and Lincoln Mercury plan to offer Sirius as a factory-installed option on up to 20 vehicle lines.
"With longer commutes and heavier traffic volume, people are spending more time than ever in their vehicles," said Phil Martens, Ford group vice president, product creation.
Sirius provides listeners with over 120 channels of premium programming, including 65 commercial-free music channels and over 55 channels of news, traffic, weather, comedy, original entertainment and sports coverage. It broadcasts all NFL games live, plus a full schedule of college football games.
According to Sirius CEO Joseph Clayton, demand for satellite radio is increasing, and the company expects to reach one million subscribers by the end of 2004.