Ford

Ford’s Testing Its Autonomous Cars in the Dark

If you don’t enjoy driving in the dark, Ford’s latest autonomous car tests will cheer you up. The company’s announced that it’s been successfully testing its cars at nighttime, a scenario that brings its own set of fairly obvious challenges for self-driving vehicles. Autonomous cars use a wide range of sensors to navigate, including cameras—which…

The Nightmare That Is Backing Up a Huge Trailer Just Got Easier

Backing into a parking spot is an impossible challenge for many drivers. How about backing up while also towing a trailer? That could get at least a little easier with a nifty feature on the upcoming 2017 Ford Super Duty pickup, called Trailer Reverse Guidance. Think of it as training wheels for anyone who doesn’t…

Ford Just Patented an Absurd Movie Screen Windshield For Driverless Cars

If Ford has its way, we’ll all be comfortably watching porn (or a nice movie) while hurtling along the highway at 70 miles-per-hour. A new patent issued to the auto giant on March 1 includes plans for a driverless car with a weirdly complex built-in entertainment system. The patent describes an autonomous car with screens…

Ford Is Finally Thinking Beyond Cars

Cars were a great idea until they started to destroy civilization. Now the inventor of that technology is busy working on the next big transportation idea, one that might not kill us all. Yes, the American automaker is spending big bucks to help you get around—even if it’s not in a Ford. In addition to…

Everything You Need to Know About Obama’s Autonomous Car Plan

In his final State of the Union, President Obama hinted about building a “21st century transportation system.” Now we know he was actually sitting on a plan to dramatically change the way Americans get around. 2016 has already been a wild ride for autonomous car news. First Google was rumored to announce something at CES.…

Ford Is Testing Its Autonomous Cars in the Snow (and That’s Pretty Damn Tough)

Adverse weather conditions have long been considered one of the biggest barriers in the development of self-driving vehicles. Now, Ford has announced that it’s been testing its autonomous cars in the snow. In a new video, Ford shows that it’s been testing its autonomous Fusion fleet in the snowy surroundings of Michigan’s Mcity proving ground.…

How Connected Cars Will Transform Our Lives at Home

Let me put this bluntly: Smart homes are pretty dumb. Or at least historically, connected devices for the everyman’s house have seemed gimmicky at best. This week at CES, however, we saw new technology that stands to reform our very conception of how homes work. But the gamechanging device we saw isn’t really a device…

Ford Teams Up With Amazon and DJI to Make Self-Driving Cars That Talk to Your House, Drone

Ford was rumored to announce a partnership with Google today at CES in Vegas, but the 115-year-old auto manufacturer has other tricks up its sleeve. Namely, curious new partnerships with Amazon and Chinese drone-maker DJI. In an email to press today, Ford first announced that it’s tripling its fleet of self-driving cars, bringing the squad…

Ford Wants to Turn Your Car’s Back Wheel Into a Batpod

A patent filed by Ford a few weeks ago reveals a rather unorthodox alternative to throwing a bicycle in your trunk. Like the Batpod that ejected from the Batmobile in The Dark Knight, the back wheel of your car could quickly transform into a self-balancing electric unicycle. The design resembles the one-wheeled self-balancing RYNO we…

Ford is rolling out support for Siri Eyes-Free to five million vehicles dating from 2011. The feature will allow you to activate Siri on your phone using the voice-recognition button on vehicle steering wheels. It’s notfull-blown CarPlay, but hey, it’s something.

Ford’s New Cars Will Do Some of the Steering For You

The most exhaustive part about maneuvering your car in and out of tight spaces in a crowded parking lot is the unending back-and-forth turning of your steering wheel. To make that easier, Ford is introducing something called Adaptive Steering that does most of the turning for you—at slower speeds. The new feature reduces the number…

Ford’s New Luxury Car Seats Adjust To Your Individual Butt Cheeks

Leather interiors and copious legroom used to be the hallmarks of a luxury sedan. But Ford is about to completely redefine what luxury means when it introduces a 30-way adjustable power seats for its Lincoln brand that even lets drivers ensure that both of their bum cheeks are comfortable with individual settings for each. Originally…

Ford’s New Headlights Spot and Turn to Illuminate Hazards at Night

Self-driving smart cars might still be years away, but the technology that makes them so smart is already benefitting drivers. Ford is currently perfecting a headlight system that uses infra-red cameras to illuminate unexpected curves and hazards on the road ahead that might be invisible to drivers otherwise. Developed at the company’s Research and Innovation…

Ford’s New Full-Size Electric Bike Tells You Where to Avoid Potholes

For many people, cycling all the way into the city is impractical—so instead a combination of car and bike can be useful. At least, that’s what Ford thinks, because it’s the motivation behind this new full-size electric bike that can be folded up to fit inside the trunk of a car. The Mode: Flex smart…

Off-Roading Above 10,000 Feet In The 2015 Ford F-150 FX4

This weekend, we took the off-road version of the new Ford F-150 pickup through the highest elevation trail in California. It’d be a test for its new turbocharged engine and its ability on dirt, rocks and sand. Could America’s best selling vehicle hack it? 10,000 feet is a border between worlds. Below it, trees grow…

Ford Designed a Sleek Futuristic Foosball Table With Actual Grass Turf

When Ford’s designers aren’t perfecting the gorgeous curves on vehicles like the company’s new Ford GT, they’re putting their design chops to good use on more affordable and attainable objects like this magnificent see-through foosball table. Created by Ford’s global design studios for the Salone Del Mobile show in Milano, Italy, the foosball table is…

This Craigslister Made the Most Ridiculous Used Car Ad Ever With a Drone

So you’re selling a car on Craigslist. You’re probably planning to take a few photos in your driveway and write some generic descriptions. “Runs good,” you’ll say. “Daily driver.” Amateur. Real Craigslist Pros film their car ads with drones. Take Django Greenblatt-Seay, for instance. He’s trying to offload his old 2002 Ford Taurus, and knew…

Ford Introduces Cars That Can Recognize and Obey Speed Limit Signs

Before autonomous smart cars hit the roads, we’re going to be seeing regular cars upgraded with the smarter technologies that will eventually make self-driving vehicles possible. In the UK Ford is introducing what it calls Intelligent Speed Limiter technology on its new S-MAX that enhances the vehicle’s cruise control capabilities with cameras that are able…

Ford Is Helping the LAPD Track Cop Cars In Real-Time

Pull up a chair, good citizen, because I’ve got a story about law enforcement and surveillance that you’re actually going to like. The Los Angeles Police Department is now using a new telematics system in 50 of its Ford Police Interceptors. In other words, the watchmen are being watched—in real-time. The stated purposes of the…

Ford’s Adding Another Self-Driving Feature to Its Cars Next Year

There’s a lot of debate over when—and whether—self-driving cars will hit the road. Elon Musk says six years. Volvo says three. However, some of the features of self-driving cars are already in action. And with Ford’s announcement that its sedans will sport pedestrian detection technology starting next year, there are about to be a lot…