Technological advances in recent years have endowed various vehicles with functions that seemed to be extremely useful for making driving easier, but which have suffered a notable setback. This is the case of the automatic controls incorporated in the manufacture of some cars. More recently, Ford has taken the decision to reverse and eliminate a function that was very useful for some drivers. Despite being an option included in most of its new models, the brand will remove it from the market due to the high costs associated with its implementation.
The change in Ford cars
As recently announced by Ford itself, the company will eliminate the enhanced parking assistant for hands-free use. The company’s upcoming models will not have this advanced feature, which took years of development to implement on a massive scale. While the decision may come as a surprise to many, the reason is obvious and logical from a business standpoint. Data collected by Ford from connected vehicles indicates that this parking aid was used by very few drivers. While autonomous parking is of great use to some, it appears that it is not as useful as previously thought. Therefore, eliminating this feature will represent significant savings for the company in the future.
According to information provided by Ford, eliminating this feature will allow the company to save around $10 billion annually. Each car equipped with the Active Park Assist service used to cost $60 per unit, an expense that Ford no longer considers profitable. Thus, the economic criterion has prevailed over innovation, which has led the company to backtrack and rule out the continuity of this system in future developments. As a result of this decision, Ford will eliminate the automatic parking system in models such as the Ford Edge, the Ford Mustang Mach-E and the Ford Escape. This measure follows the same line previously adopted by other brands such as Hyundai and Kia, which also abandoned similar technologies in their vehicles in recent years.
More changes in the company
In addition to retiring these technological systems focused on facilitating parking, Ford has decided to redirect its efforts and resources towards what many consider to be the future of the automotive sector: electric cars. Despite the global drop in sales in recent years, the company is determined to develop efficient and fast electric vehicles that offer an optimal driving experience. The goal is for these new electric cars to be able to replace fossil fuel vehicles, the use of which has a negative impact on the environment.
With this strategy, Ford seeks to offer a useful and satisfying product to drivers who opt for its electric vehicles. These models will include significant innovations in the engine, comfort and autonomy, which are essential to capture the attention of customers.
