Sirius, Ford Extend Agreement

Sirius and Ford are extending their partnership through 2011.
All Ford Motor Company brands in the U.S. – Ford, Lincoln Mercury, Land Rover, Jaguar, Volvo, Aston Martin and Mazda – are covered by the agreement.
Earlier this year, Ford and Lincoln Mercury said they target up to 21 vehicle lines for factory installation of Sirius over the 2006 and 2007 model years, expecting to generate up to one million Sirius subscribers over the two model year period.
In total, nearly 90% of Ford and Lincoln Mercury vehicles will have Sirius as a factory installed option for the 2008 model year.
A Ford executive noted that Sirius subscriptions have increased dramatically, so extending the agreement between the two companies makes sense.
Land Rover recently said it would offer Sirius as a factory-installed option on select vehicle lines, beginning with the 2006 model year. Volvo, Jaguar and Mazda currently offer Sirius as a dealer-installed option, with future plans to offer it as a factory-installed option and/or as an option installed as overseas vehicles enter U.S. ports.
Ford has the option to extend the agreement through September 2013. Beginning in 2009, Ford may elect to become nonexclusive under the agreement. Both companies said if that happens, Ford would forfeit future economic benefits, which could be significant.