DEARBORN, Mich.— Ford Motor Company and FordDirect, a joint venture between Ford and its franchise dealers, launched the iPad-optimized versions of the Ford and Lincoln "Build and Price" online customer shopping tool. The new versions are designed for the iPad and iPad 2, as well as the iPhone and Android smart phones. 

iPad and smart phone users can access the Build and Price feature of the Ford and Lincoln sites, allowing them to virtually build a car from top to bottom, receive a price estimate and find a local dealership that can facilitate the purchase. 

“Our new iPad and smart phone optimized Build and Price features provide consumers with more opportunities to learn about the Ford and Lincoln vehicles they are interested in, whatever their location,” said Stacey Coopes, FordDirect CEO. “In turn, Ford and Lincoln dealers gain more opportunities to reach consumers and access leads from interested shoppers for Ford and Lincoln dealers.”

When a consumer accesses the Ford.com or Lincoln.com site on an iPad or iPad2, the iPad will automatically launch the iPad-optimized version of the Build and Price pages. The Build and Price feature can be accessed directly on an iPad at t.bp3.ford.com and t.bp3.lincoln.com.

Since its launch, the iPad Build and Price and smart phone tools have generated nearly 750 leads per week for Ford Motor Company dealers, according to the company. 

The Build and Price tool is available on Ford.com, Lincoln.com, the FordDirect dealer websites, DealerConnection and DealerConnection Premier Customization Service.