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MyFord Touch, MyLincoln Touch upgrades shipping this week
Posted by: | CommentsFiled under: Technology, Ford, Lincoln, Infotainment
A few months back, Ford told us that it had listened to consumers and wanted to cure the ills of the first generation MyFord Touch. Starting today, the Blue Oval will begin shipping out USB drives to owners of 2013 Ford Taurus and Flex models, allowing them to install the latest version of the software from the comfort of their garages.
The update addresses many gripes that both the public and press have had with the MyFord Touch and MyLincoln Touch interface since its launch in 2010. The graphics have undergone a relatively major overhaul with bolder text and a cleaner, more user friendly UI. Just as important, the touchsceen lag we’ve complained about in the past should be all but eradicated and voice recognition has also improved. No word from Ford on how it’s dealt with the intermittent crashes that users have experienced, but we know that it was a top priority for engineers.
Ford’s wonks have also added more phone support, Audible audiobook integration, a revamped mapping and navigation system and the ability to link a variety of tablet devices to the Sync platform.
Ford is shipping both a USB flash drive that contains the update and an SD card with all-new mapping data. Ford claims the installation should take around an hour, but if you’re hazy on the install process, it can be performed at your local Ford or Lincoln dealer. Make the jump for the official details.
Continue reading MyFord Touch, MyLincoln Touch upgrades shipping this week
MyFord Touch, MyLincoln Touch upgrades shipping this week originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Mar 2012 09:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Bill Ford Jr. outlines future of mobility at MWC
Posted by: | CommentsFiled under: Safety, Technology, Ford
Between now and the middle of this century, analysts predict that the world’s vehicle population will quadruple, going from around one billion today to four billion by 2050. To keep perpetual, global gridlock at bay and reduce consumption, automakers and communication providers have to team up, and that’s exactly what Bill Ford Jr. proposed on Monday at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.
Under the banner “Blueprint for Mobility,” the great-grandson of Henry Ford detailed what it will take to make congestion-free motoring (or at least congestion-controlled) a reality in the coming decades, utilizing a combination of connected cars, connected roadways and a totally revamped mobile infrastructure.
“If we do nothing, we face the prospect of ‘global gridlock’, a never-ending traffic jam that wastes time, energy and resources and even compromises the flow of commerce and healthcare,” Ford told the assembled masses in Spain.
Ford’s proposal comes in three parts – near-term (5-7 years), mid-term (2017-2025) and long-term (2025 and beyond) – with the first part requiring the development and deployment of vehicle-to-vehicle warning systems, “limited autonomous functions” (think next-gen adaptive cruise control) and the expansion of car sharing programs like ZipCar.
Mid-term solutions range from semi-autonomous vehicles to new city car models that carry between one and three passengers, while long-term proposals include a range of intermodal transportation networks that combine individually owned cars with public transportation, fully autonomous vehicles and a constantly connected road network that uses vehicle-to-vehicle communication and road trains.
It’s all ambitious stuff and echoes much of what we’ve heard from other automakers, including Audi, BMW and General Motors, who have all announced plans to move beyond being a standard automaker and instead become “mobility providers.” Get the full details on Ford’s proposal in the official release after the jump.
Continue reading Bill Ford Jr. outlines future of mobility at MWC
Bill Ford Jr. outlines future of mobility at MWC originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 28 Feb 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible kicks out 650 hp, limits top speed
Posted by: | CommentsFiled under: Chicago Auto Show, Convertible, Performance, Ford
Twenty years ago, Ford debuted the 1993 SVT Mustang Cobra at the Chicago Auto Show and introduced the world to its high-performance skunkworks department, known as SVT or Special Vehicle Team.
Today, Ford celebrates SVT’s platinum anniversary the only way it knows how: with another Mustang variant. And as suspected, it comes in the form of a topless Shelby GT500.
Just as a refresher, at the 1992 show in Chicago the SVT Cobra put out 235 horsepower from its Vanilla Ice-approved 5.0-liter V8. Twenty years later, displacement has grown by less than a liter, but thanks to some 21st century tech and a massive supercharger, the 5.8-liter V8 in the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible makes the same 650 hp (and 600 pound-feet of torque) as its coupe counterpart, laying claim to the most powerful production V8 in the world.
In addition to the carbon fiber driveshaft, upgraded clutch, transmission and axle, SVT fitted its own specially developed Bilstein electronic adjustable dampers, along with six-piston Brembo calipers squeezing massive discs up front.
Like the coupe, the Bilstein setup is part of the Performance Package (why it’s not included as standard is beyond us) and Ford will also offer a Track Pack that includes an external oil cooler, differential cooler and transmission cooler to keep temps in check when flogging the drop top around the tarmac.
And before you ask: No, the GT500 coupe’s 200 mph top speed doesn’t carry over to the Convertible. In a rare moment of sanity, Ford’s engineers saw fit to limit the GT500 ‘vert to 155 mph – like the rest of the roofless Mustangs. Hit the jump for the full details.
Continue reading 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible kicks out 650 hp, limits top speed
2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible kicks out 650 hp, limits top speed originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Ford updates Sync Destinations with voice controls, better traffic data
Posted by: | CommentsFiled under: Technology, Ford, Infotainment
Ford is extending its AppLink support to its own Sync Destinations app, finally providing voice control and including more accurate, real-time traffic and rerouting data thanks to its partnership with Inrix.
Surprisingly, you weren’t able to access the app through voice commands before, but this latest version of Destinations allows the driver to access all the traffic, saved routes and direction services without having to tap their phone or touchscreen.
In addition to routing to saved destinations, users can send an address from their smartphone directly to the Sync system, get real-time traffic data with rerouting and report accidents, which helps increase the accuracy of Inrix’s crowd-sourced traffic information.
The updated app for iPhones will be rolling out soon, but Android users will have to hold out for a few more months. Full details in the press blast and video below the fold.
Continue reading Ford updates Sync Destinations with voice controls, better traffic data
Ford updates Sync Destinations with voice controls, better traffic data originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.