DEARBORN, Mich. — FordDirect, a joint venture between Ford Motor Company and its franchised dealers, launched DealerConnection Vehicle Showroom (VSR). The solution is based on SiSTeR's Technologies' VSHOC and Publisher platform.

FordDirect VSR integrates with a dealer’s digital marketing or social media platform, including blogs, Facebook and their YouTube pages, so that consumers can search the most current new- and used-vehicle inventory without clicking out of their original destination.

The service will be available to all 3,500 Ford and Lincoln Dealers that have DealerConnection websites, and offered for no additional charge to dealers that currently have both DealerConnection Elite and DealerConnection Premier Advanced Inventory Service (DCPAIS), according to the company.

The VSR’s filtering and keyword search functions provide users with their desired selection in real time. VSR also switches automatically to an HTML 5.0 version for users who access it via a smart phone or tablet.

“We are finding that consumers are turning to social media and other digital platforms to initiate their research for a vehicle purchase, so it’s important for dealers to capture their attention with the most current information in an interactive way,” said Valerie Fuller, COO of FordDirect. “DealerConnection Vehicle Showroom provides consumers with an enhanced online experience so that they can find the vehicle that they are looking for and be able to connect with a dealer without the hassle of having to visit numerous websites.”

DealerConnection VSR enables consumers to search for a new vehicle by make, model and price, and also submit an inquiry directly to the dealer or refer a vehicle to others without ever leaving the digital or social platform, according to FordDirect. VSR also automatically displays the desired vehicle on the dealer’s website for visitors who come from YouTube and, if such a vehicle is sold, lists of similar vehicles are displayed.

For more information, visit www.forddirect.com/dealercenter.