80 Percent of Fords/Lincoln Mercurys to Offer Sirius as Factory Option

Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio and their auto partners are expanding availability of these new radios.
On the eve of CES Sirius said Ford and Lincoln Mercury will begin offering Sirius as a factory-installed option this summer for up to 21 vehicle lines, beginning with the Ford F-150, Ford Explorer, Lincoln Mark LT and Mercury Mountaineer. Ford expects to generate up to a million subscribers in the 2006 and ’07 model years.
The satellite company said about 80 percent of all Ford and Lincoln Mercury vehicles will have Sirius as a factory option. Each Ford and Lincoln Mercury vehicle sold with factory Sirius will include a six-month or longer subscription. Pricing hasn’t been announced yet.
XM and GM recently announced that the automaker had signed its 1 millionth XM Satellite Radio subscriber. GM began offering XM on Cadillacs in 2001.