Making its debut in the all-electric Mustang Mach-E will be Ford’s next-generation Sync technology, which the company says combines conversational speech recognition, internet search results and machine learning intelligence.
The car will also feature Ford’s Remote Vehicle Setup – a new feature that enables owners to personalize their car before it is even delivered. This enables drivers to pre-configure settings, such as preferred drive modes and ambient cabin colors.
“We’ve worked obsessively to make sure that owning a Mustang Mach-E is the most personal, most connected driving experience achievable,” said Jan Schroll, connectivity manager, Ford of Europe. “The next-generation Sync is the smartest version yet and will continue to get smarter the longer you own your car. It is designed to know what you need – and when you need it – so you can just sit back and enjoy the drive.”
The company states that the system brings its human-centric design philosophy to bear on the driver experience. It enables the configuration of 80 different functions, from cabin temperature and seat position to ambient lighting. The system can identify individual drivers by their smartphone or key fob and apply their settings as they approach the vehicle.
“One-size-fits-all doesn’t fit anyone,” highlighted Sheryl Connelly, Ford global consumer trends and futuring manager. “Consumers want products, services and experiences that are uniquely suited to their needs – that is why Ford is enabling pre-delivery personalisation on the Mustang Mach-E. For those who take advantage of the feature, no two Mustang Mach-Es will ever be exactly alike”.
Central to the Sync system is a 15.5in full HD touch display and Ford says the interface has been pared back to deliver information in an easily digestible way. Meanwhile, the car’s connected navigation system is claimed to help reduce driver travel times, avoiding hold-ups and rerouting around congestion.
Real-time and predictive traffic information is provided by location specialists TomTom, while in-vehicle and in-cloud routing provided by Garmin tries to ensure drivers are always offered the most efficient routes to their destination.
