Ford says it is revolutionizing its hands-free driving technology, BlueCruise, by offering more flexible subscription plans and free trials for its customers.
Currently, there are 225,000 Ford BlueCruise-equipped vehicles worldwide. By 2024, Ford aims to add BlueCruise hardware to an additional 500,000 vehicles across its Ford and Lincoln brands in North America. This move is set to make the technology more accessible to a broader range of customers.
Ashley Lambrix, Head of Commercial Acceleration – Ford Model e, remarked, “BlueCruise is an experience-it-to-believe-it technology. We believe in this technology and how it can help transform the highway driving experience and want to give more customers the opportunity to try it.”
Customers can now activate BlueCruise at any point during their vehicle ownership. Those who opt not to activate it at the time of purchase will receive a complimentary 90-day trial. After the trial, customers can choose to activate the service annually or monthly, with no minimum commitment.
Previously, customers had to decide at the time of ordering if they wanted the BlueCruise hardware installed. Now, Ford is removing this decision-making burden, offering the hardware as a standard feature.
According to an S&P Global Mobility study, 82% of respondents expressed interest in purchasing a connected service if they had the opportunity to try it first. Building on this insight, Ford first introduced this flexible approach with the Mustang Mach-E and will now expand it to other 2024 models, including the F-150 Lightning, Ford F-150, and Ford Expedition.
The activation cost for BlueCruise is $2,100 for three years ($58.33/month). After the free trial, customers can opt for an $800 annual plan ($66.67/month) or a $75 monthly plan. Those who choose not to activate BlueCruise can still benefit from Adaptive Cruise Control.
Lincoln is also expanding its BlueCruise offerings. The 2024 Lincoln Navigator, Lincoln Nautilus, and select Lincoln Corsair trims will come with BlueCruise hardware. Depending on the vehicle trim, customers will either receive four years of BlueCruise access or a 90-day trial with flexible activation plans.
Ford is committed to enhancing the BlueCruise experience. To date, customers have driven over 100 million hands-free miles using BlueCruise. With the expansion of BlueCruise-equipped vehicles, Ford aims to harness large-scale data to refine and improve the technology further. The company recently introduced BlueCruise 1.2 and will soon launch BlueCruise 1.3, offering improved performance in various driving conditions.
Ford customers can manage their BlueCruise subscriptions and check their status via the FordPass App and Ford Account under Connected Services.
Tesla offers Autopilot with Full Self-Driving subscriptions for $199/month in the U.S., while basic Autopilot comes standard on all vehicles. Services are the next frontier for companies to make money on vehicles.
Earlier today, Ford announced it had hired a former Apple executive to lead its new services and software division at the company.
