Do you recall when car manufacturers had to remove features due to chip shortages caused by the pandemic? Ford has opted to remove technological conveniences from its products once again, this time eliminating features that customers rarely use to save money. The first casualty is the automatic parallel parking system.
By analyzing Ford’s connected vehicle data, which remotely monitors various car parameters, the team in Dearborn can determine the usage frequency of specific functions. Through this process, Ford discovered that some features with minimal usage could be removed from its vehicles, resulting in a cost-saving per unit. Surprisingly, Ford’s Active Park Assist, which enables cars to park themselves in parallel, sees minimal utilization by customers.
You’re doing this on your own from now on. Ford
“The significance of connected vehicle data lies in providing insights into the usage patterns of services for customers,” stated Ford’s COO Kumar Galhotra during a recent conference call, as reported by Bloomberg. “For instance, we observed an automatic parking feature that enables customers to park in parallel automatically. Given the low customer uptake, we decided to remove it. This translates to a saving of about $60 per vehicle.”
Galhotra mentioned that eliminating this feature alone at a cost of $60 each will result in annual savings of $10 million for Ford. The Drive has contacted the company for further insights on this decision and to inquire about any other potential removals of technological conveniences for cost-cutting purposes, including Active Park Assist. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
Some customers who rely on this feature for easier parallel parking may find this development frustrating, while other Ford owners may wonder about future exclusions by the automaker. This move is part of a comprehensive plan aimed at saving $2 billion for the company, suggesting that Active Park Assist may just be the beginning of creature comforts vanishing from Ford’s vehicles in the near future.
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