The world’s No. 3 carmaker has had a difficult year, but today in Detroit Ford officials worked to convince us that the company is on the road to recovery. Mark Fields, Ford’s president of the Americas, took to the stage at Cobo Arena to declare that the company's revival would be product driven, with 70 percent of today’s Ford models being renewed by the end of 2008 and 100 percent by 2010.

Refining Ford's Focus

Fields also announced an increased focus on small cars and crossovers, where Ford sees market growth "with gas prices on consumers’ minds and lifestyles changing."

The 2008 Ford Focus showcases that commitment. This restyled compact is improved inside and out. It's noticeably more upscale than its predecessor, with smarter detailing, improved interior materials, a stiffer chassis offering improved driving performance, and a reduction in weight for potentially better fuel economy. Innovative features include an ambient lighting system that gently illuminates storage spaces, footwells and other facets of the car’s interior in a color of the users’ choice.

Ford Gets In Sync With Microsoft

Clever lighting isn’t the only innovative feature in the new Focus. The new Sync digital in-car communications system will soon be offered on all U.S.-market Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles. At its heart is “Microsoft Auto” software, and Microsoft Chairman and founder Bill Gates joined Fields via a video link to introduce the system. (Microsoft Corp. is the owner of MSN Autos.)

“People spend a lot of time in their cars,” said Gates. "Sync will connect drivers to the people and information that they care about, while they’re on the road." The system integrates with your cell phone, Zune, iPod, or other portable device via Bluetooth and incorporates voice-to-text technology allowing you to access your address book, music or other information via voice commands. It works in reverse, too—the system will read out your text messages as they arrive. It can read music and other files from a USB drive, and because it’s software based, the system is fully upgradeable to maintain compatibility with new portable devices.

Also on stage were the 2008 model Ford Five Hundred, which gets an extra 60 horsepower and the enormous F-Series Super Duty truck, complete with Airstream trailer. The new F-450 model on sale this spring has a 3-ton payload and is capable of hauling a 12-ton trailer. “It’s literally unstoppable” said Fields. "We're running out of things to tow with it."