Lawrence Ricci Absolutely!! The Car itself must reinforce the social network of the driver. After all, we do not buy a car to move our body from place to place, we buy a car to cement our position in society- power dude, up and comer, soccer mom, good dad.

Ford Motor Company WHO and WHEN: Ford Research Engineer T.J Giuli and Mr. Ranjith Ramakrishnan, Co-Founder & CTO of Cumulux, will lead the session “Dude, This Is My Car” at South by South West Interactive on March 12, at 2:00 PM local time in Ballroom A, which will focus on the open software platform for the car, and how it is now becoming more and more a part of people’s socially networked lives.

WHAT: Executives from Ford Motor Company and Cumulux will take center stage to discuss the car as the emerging member of your social network and the next generation platform for software application and content development.

WHY: “The consumer today is on the go; they want to be mobile. This radical shift means using their applications in the car,” states T.J. Giuli of Ford’s Research and Advanced Engineering organization. “What Ford engineers have been hard at work doing is developing a platform within the car itself that allows for mobile applications to be developed for and used in the car – and used safely. Our research is all about making the driver experience smarter, safer and simpler – using technology to positively enhance the driving experience without compromising security or safety.”