Vehicle manufacturer Ford used the CTIA Enterprise and Applications event last week to encourage mobile developers to create applications which can be used with in-car systems. According to mocoNews, Derrick Kuzak, a VP of global product development for the company, proposed applications that would give drivers access to hyperlocal traffic and accident information, provide information about accident blackspots, or enable parking spaces to be reserved and paid for. To enable mobile apps to be delivered to in-car users, Ford has published an SDK that provides developers with the APIs necessary to tailor apps for display in-car through synchronisation with smartphones. Android and BlackBerry are currently supported, with iPhone and Windows Phone 7 compatibility in the pipeline.

According to CNET, Ford has received more than 1,000 proposals for partnerships from app developers since it began increasing its presence in this market. Several partners are already working with the auto manufacturer, including internet radio companies Pandora and Stitcher, and OpenBreak, developer of a Twitter app. PCWorld says that Ford is not opening its SDK to all developers, with the company focusing on titles that will be “appropriate for safe in-car use.”

In addition to providing products related to motoring and traffic, the company is also looking to work across markets including personal entertainment, information and news, and scheduling and planning. CNET notes that “Ford is encouraging potential app partners to envision mashups of categories and services that are useful to the driving while enhancing, rather than compromising, the safety of the vehicle.”

mocoNews says that Kuzak believes that 36 percent of mobile app users make use of the software when commuting, and that the “typical” American spends three hours per day in the car. Future Ford cars will include technologies including touchscreen displays which can be used to connect to smartphones, which will be included in “80 percent of its vehicles in the next five years.” The company has also promoted the safety benefits of integrating mobile devices with in-car systems using its existing Sync technology, for example by enabling drivers to ‘listen’ to incoming texts, with voice command for 15 pre-set text responses which can be sent to consumers.