Ford adds BlueCruise hands-free driving to four more models in Europe

Four more Ford models are now available with the company’s BlueCruise hands-off, eyes-on technology. Following its introduction on the Mustang Mach-E in Europe, the advanced driver assistance system will now be available in the Puma, Puma Gen-E, Kuga and Ranger PHEV from spring 2026, when the vehicle is equipped with the Driver Assistance Pack.

BlueCruise was the first system of its kind to receive regulatory approval in Europe with the GB launch in 2023. Since then, BlueCruise has been approved for use across 16 European markets. With this wide geographic availability, as an example, a customer can use BlueCruise across six countries traveling from Stockholm to Rome, covering over 2,000km and spending close to 25 hours driving hands-free.

BlueCruise builds on the capabilities of Ford’s Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control (IACC), and helps control the steering, acceleration, braking, lane positioning and safe distances from the vehicle ahead by monitoring the road markings, speed signs and evolving traffic conditions, from highway speeds to stop-and-go traffic.

When BlueCruise is engaged on approved highways called Blue Zones, it enables the driver to take their hands off the steering wheel if they continue to pay attention to the road ahead – granting an additional level of comfort during long drives. Before transitioning to hands-free driving, BlueCruise-equipped vehicles confirm that lane markings are visible, that the driver has their eyes on the road and that other conditions are appropriate.

BlueCruise uses a combination of radars and cameras to detect and track the position and speed of other vehicles on the road. A forward-facing camera detects lane markings and speed signs. To help ensure drivers keep their eyes on the road while their hands are off the wheel, a driver-facing camera checks the driver’s eye gaze and head position, even when they are wearing sunglasses.

Said Torsten Wey, manager of ADAS features and software at Ford in Europe, “We’re committed to putting cutting-edge technology in the hands of more drivers. With BlueCruise now available on five vehicle lines in Europe, we’re helping make hands-free highway driving accessible to a wider array of customers. Every vehicle line is unique, and our team of ADAS engineers has been working to expand BlueCruise beyond Mustang Mach-E to ensure a quality hands-free highway driving experience no matter which vehicle a customer chooses.”