Ford Says Sirius Deal Starts This Month

The $195 option will include a six-month subscription.

Author:: TSC Staff
Publish date:: Aug 1, 2005 9:02 AM EDT

Ford's

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previously announced agreement to start offering

Sirius

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radios as a factory option will begin this month.

The No. 2 automaker, which

announced the linkup in January, said satellite radio will be available as a $195 option in the F150 starting this month, to be followed by introductions in the Lincoln Mark LT, Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer through December.

The option will include a six-month subscription to Sirius programming, as had been expected.

Ford and Lincoln Mercury expect to target up to 21 vehicle lines for factory installation of Sirius radios over the next two model years. The alliance could generate up to a million new subscribers over that period, the companies say.

Always-frenetic Sirius shares rose 13 cents to $6.95 on Instinet.