Sporting his Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) Watch in an interview with Re/code, Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) CTO Raj Nair indicated that there is room for the auto company to work closely with Apple and Google Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG) in developing car software.

Yet, the CTO strongly indicated that Ford would play the lead role by saying, "We want to make sure that you are not pushed into a decision on a $40,000 car based on your $200 smartphone."

In its next version, Ford's main system, SYNC, will operate on BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ: BBRY)'s QNX. The software, however, will include new apps and functionality to interface with both Google's Android Auto and Apple's CarPlay. Those systems will be secondary to SYNC.

Related Link: Why Apple Was The Real Winner Of The NFL Draft

Earlier this year, Ford opened a Silicon Valley Research and Innovation Center led by a former Apple engineer. The company plans to have 125 software and user experience engineers, as well as business development, IT and marketing positions by the end of 2015.

Year-to-date, Ford gained 2 percent. The stock has been stable over the past 52 weeks, trading in a $5 range between $13.26 and $18.12.

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