• Dida CityRide pilot program between Ford and Dida Pinche, China’s largest carpooling app, held in Beijing and Shanghai
•  During the one-month pilot, Ford and Dida completed 170,000 individual rides, totaling more than 2.56 million kilometers, helping reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 700,000 kilograms
• The Ford Focus is the single most popular vehicle on Dida of any vehicle in China
•  Ford and Dida are working together to integrate the carpooling service into the Ford AppLink connectivity system for a seamless consumer experience

SHANGHAI, China, October 12, 2015 – Building on its global Smart Mobility strategy, Ford recently partnered with China’s leading carpooling service on a project to help ease congestion on urban roads by taking a common practice – offering a lift to friends – to a new level.

The partnership, a pilot program called Dida CityRide, paired drivers of Ford vehicles with users of Dida Pinche, a popular social carpooling app that matches drivers with passengers heading to similar or en-route destinations. Unlike typical ride-sharing applications, passengers using Dida Pinche only pay to help the driver with fuel and parking costs.

“We know that Chinese drivers are concerned about everyday issues like traffic, pollution and parking, and by partnering with leading-edge companies like Dida, we’re finding ways to shift the automotive industry’s focus from products to comprehensive transportation solutions,” said John Lawler, chairman and CEO, Ford China.

“In China’s crowded cities, carpooling has the advantage of helping to relieve road congestion, which shrinks commute times, and reducing fuel consumption, which helps to clear the air,” said George Song, CEO of Dida Pinche. “We’re excited to cooperate with Ford on smarter and greener mobility solutions for China’s crowded cities, helping drivers and passengers find each other more easily.”

For the CityRide project, drivers of Ford vehicles in the pilot cities of Beijing and Shanghai registered as Dida Pinche drivers, offering to carpool with passengers on their morning and evening commutes. Ford drivers using Dida Pinche completed 170,000 rides totaling more than 2.56 million kilometers over the course of the month-long project.

Ford used the project as an opportunity to gather data on how passengers enjoyed the experience of riding in a Ford car. Nearly 90 percent of riders report having a high opinion of Ford after the experience, and more than 40 percent provided a confirmed phone number to receive more information about Ford vehicles. Today, the Ford Focus already is the single most popular vehicle on Dida of any vehicle in China.

“By working with Dida on the CityRide project, we’ve been able to develop clear insights into the preferences of carpooling consumers in Chinese cities, and introduce more people to the Ford brand – while reducing fuel consumption and even shaving commute times,” said Lawler. “As we continue to develop our vision for the future of mobility in China, these kinds of projects and experiments are invaluable.”

The CityRide project fits into a broad approach at Ford to develop and democratize technologies that integrate into consumers’ lives and existing habits. When research showed that drivers were looking for a smarter and safer way to stay connected while on the road, Ford developed SYNC, a hands-free connectivity system that gives drivers control over entertainment, navigation, climate control and phone functions while keeping their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.

Building on the SYNC platform, Ford developed AppLink to allow drivers to control their favorite smartphone apps with voice commands and controls mounted on the steering wheel. To provide a seamless carpooling experience, Ford is now working with Dida to integrate the carpooling app into Ford AppLink. Ford has also integrated advanced cameras and sensors into its vehicles to help drivers steer through traffic, monitor traffic signs and stay safely in their lane.

“By combining our experience in carpooling with Ford’s valuable expertise in safe hands-free controls and smart driving technologies, we can give consumers the best possible experience, and make carpooling easier and more accessible,” said Song.

Around the world, Ford is conducting experiments as part of its Ford Smart Mobility plan to use innovation to take the company to the next level in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, the customer experience and big data. The goal of the experiments is ultimately to create better customer experiences, more flexible user-ship models and social collaboration that can reward customers.

“As we move into the next phase of Ford Smart Mobility, we’re finding more ways to serve customers around the world,” said Lawler. “More than 100 years after Henry Ford revolutionized transportation, projects like CityRide are showing us new ways to build a better world and once again change the way the world moves.”