All BS6 Ford cars to get connectivity features as standard

Ford India is all set to bring in connected car features as standard across its model range, which will make them the only carmaker in India to do so.  

Ford India may be on the back foot at the moment, that is until the JV with Mahindra begins to get off the ground, but they aren’t exactly standing back and watching the show either. For their latest initiative is all set to offer the full range Ford cars in India with a range of connected car features. In what definitely is a big announcement, Ford India has communicated that the company will be bringing in its BS6 range of cars with in-built 4G SIM cards that will be offered as standard across all variants of their models. Ford India has also stated that the company will bear the cost of connection for the first three years of a vehicle’s life span.

Ford India is calling its connected car tech – FordPass. Ford vehicle owners can download the mobile phone application on their smartphones and connect to their cars by creating an ID and entering identification data with a two-factor authentication process. Primary account holders can grant secondary access to other users of the vehicle and they can also list multiple Ford connected cars to the same ID.

The FordPass app is divided into three sections, namely, Move, Find and Guides. The Move section is the one with connected car tech and offers functional features for the car. This will allow vehicle owners to remotely unlock the car as well turn the engine on and off, they can also check the health of the car, the fuel level, engine oil level, odometer reading. The vehicle's location can also be checked and spare part prices can be looked up too. Full vehicle service and maintenance history will also be available in this section along with service reminders. This section also has a how-to-videos category that can show users the full range of FordPass features.

The ‘Find’ section helps users locate nearby fuel pumps and points of interest alongside finding Ford dealerships.

The ‘Guides’ section is a virtual help desk that can help customers who need assistance with their commute, regardless of their location.

“Right from offering Bluetooth a decade ago to voice-enabled SYNC, Ford cars have introduced intuitive technologies that elevate the customer experience. In line with our vision, we are now democratizing in-car technologies by offering the connected car solutions across the model range, free-of-cost,” said, Anurag Mehrotra, President & Managing Director, Ford India.

The first car to get this connected car tech is the BS6 version of the Ford EcoSport which was launched on the 20th of January, 2020. And you can read all about it here - Ford EcoSport BS6 launched at ₹8.04 lakh

Also read - Ford Figo Long Term Report: January 2020