(April 6, 2011) DEARBORN, Mich. — Three of Ford’s latest industry-exclusive technologies — rear inflatable seat belts, MyFord Touch and MyKey — took Gold at the internationally known 2011 Edison Best New Product Awards gala in New York last night.

Joining the Ford family of 2011 Edison Award Gold winners was a Silver award for SYNC AppLink.

“We are pleased that our latest consumer technologies have been recognized as Edison Award winners, a testament to our skilled and motivated teams that are passionate about and committed to developing industry-first innovations our customers want and value,” said Derrick Kuzak, group vice president, Ford Global Product Development.

The awards program symbolizes the persistence and excellence personified by Thomas Alva Edison, inspiring America’s drive to remain in the forefront of innovation, creativity and ingenuity in the global economy.

This year’s winners were chosen by around 2,000 members of the not-for-profit Marketing Executives Networking Group, an organization comprising America’s top marketing professionals and academics. The comprehensive peer-review process judged nominees on marketplace innovation, marketplace success, technological innovation, market structure innovation, societal impact and design innovation.

MyFord Touch, MyKey, SYNC AppLink and rear inflatable seat belts — each an industry-first innovation — were announced as Edison Award finalists earlier this year, joining an impressive yet compact list of nominated products and services from innovation powerhouses such as Nike, Disney, Logitech, The Coca-Cola Company and Lockheed Martin.

MyFord Touch and SYNC AppLink were finalists in the Transportation — In-Car Driving Aids category. MyKey was a finalist in the Transportation — Remote Driving Aids category. The rear inflatable seat belt system was a finalist in Applied Technology.

In addition to recognizing Ford technologies with multiple Best New Product Awards, the Edison program also presented Ford CEO Alan Mulally with the prestigious Edison Achievement Award for his significant and lasting contributions to innovation throughout his career.

Mulally joins an esteemed group of colleagues from leading organizations such as design firm IDEO, research epicenter MIT and Genentech, an industry leader in biotechnology.