Why Ford Says NO To Upgrade Cars For Latest Tech Feature; It Unveils SmartLink Instead

To get the latest vehicle technology you don’t need to kick out your car or even you don’t need to shell out thousands of dollars each year upgrading it. There’s an answer from Ford which says you don’t have to do so.

The auto giant has introduced a device called SmartLink that just need to get plugged into contemporary cars to help you get the experience of high-tech twist to the driving.

SmartLink is compatible to any model of Ford or Lincoln between 2010 and 2016 to get features like access to smartphone-based remote start, lock, and unlock.

The device simply need to be connected to the OBD II port that is just below the steering wheel and other features too pops up like vehicle health and security alerts and vehicle location assistant.

Ford’s executive vice president of global marketing sales and service, Stephen Odell, said their new device will surely surprise and delight owners of recent model-year vehicles as it is capable of giving some of the most popular connectivity features of today’s trend.

Ford has developed SmartLink in collaboration with Delphi Automotive and Verizon Telematics, and it will be made available at the dealerships of Ford as well as Lincoln this summer.

According to Ford CTO Raj Nair, owners of Echo Dot, Amazon Tap can start the vehicle remotely, lock it or unlock the doors. One can get the vehicle information from comfort of living room by using voice commands.

Nair said, “We are thrilled to offer this level of convenience and connectivity to our existing customers, extending the value of their vehicles and giving them just one more reason to love their Ford and Lincoln vehicles.”

Components of Ford SmartLink

The components include a 4G LTE-enabled OBD II plug-in device and a companion App and Web Portal that is used to activate the remote features.

Features of Ford SmartLink

Among the most common features to enjoy after plugging in are remote start, lock and unlock, Wi-Fi access that can host up to 8 devices. Apart from these, car owners get vehicle health, security and location alerts too.

Verdict

Surely the Vehicle owners’ experiences are to be enhanced with the new Ford SmartLink as it leads to many useful features like finding the car’s location and controlling locks as well apart from starting the engine. Ford has not yet disclosed the pricing part of its SmartLink but obviously it will be cheaper compared to upgrading of the cars.