Manufacturers are constantly competing against one another in the realm of technology—but Ford now has the upper hand in the safety department.
Ford Co-Pilot360 is being hailed as the "most advanced" suite of driver-assist technologies, and it incorporates five key systems:
- Automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection
- Blind spot information system (BLIS)
- Lane keeping system
- Reverse camera
- Auto high beams
Many brands offer the same features or similar, but not all as standard and lumped together in one convenient package.
"Though our vehicles today are safer than ever, drivers tell us they are still stressed about getting in a potential accident," said Jim Farley, Ford president of Global Markets. "That's one reason why we're making these must-have technologies accessible to millions of customers each year."
Drivers of Ford passenger cars, SUVs, and trucks (up to the F-150) will get to reap the benefits of this package in the very near future.
That's not all, though. Ford states, "By 2020, E-Series, F-650 and F-750 and even our F59 chassis will come with available automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, driver alert system and more."
Ford has always been a leader in technology, and it has plans to invest nearly $500 million into the development of driver-assist and safety tech in the next five years.
This new generation of safety tech can be seen as just a stepping stone to the world of autonomous vehicles. Farley comments, "...those who use advanced driver-assist technologies today say they are more open to cars doing all of the driving in the future."
He makes a fair point, and one that either rings true to drivers or not at all. Autonomous driving is still a sticky subject, but with tech advancements like these, naysayers may just start warming up to the idea.
This suite of features will first be made available later this year in the new 2019 Ford Edge and Edge ST. By 2020, Ford Co-Pilot 360 will be standard in 91 percent of Ford models in North America.
NEXT: FORD FEELS THE PRESSURE TO RECALL 1.3M EXPLORERS
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