Ford Motor Co. will offer an aftermarket plug-in device to add new technology to older vehicles.
The device, Ford SmartLink, will plug in to a vehicle’s OBD-II port below the steering wheel, and enable 2010-16 model Ford and Lincoln vehicles to download the latest Ford Motor technology, the automaker said in a statement Friday. Ford developed the device, in partnership with supplier Delphi Automotive and Verizon Telematics, over the past two years.
It will allow Ford and Lincoln owners to remotely lock, unlock and start their cars with their smartphones; use a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hot spot; get health and security alerts; and receive vehicle location assistance. Ford says roughly 15 million vehicles are eligible for the product.
Ford declined to reveal pricing information for SmartLink, which will be available this summer.
There will be an upfront charge, in addition to a monthly fee, Dave Ziegler, technology and innovation manager for Ford’s customer service division, told Automotive News. He said there will also be a separate pricing package for used car dealers to offer the device as an add-on.
“Ford SmartLink will surprise and delight owners of recent model-year vehicles by adding some of today’s most popular connectivity features” Stephen Odell, executive vice president of global marketing, sales and service, said in a statement. “Offering it through our dealerships is another way to keep us connected with our customers and earn their loyalty.”
Ford announced this year that it would begin rolling out 4G LTE Wi-Fi on its 2017 vehicles. And it began rolling out smartphone start, lock and unlock access through its FordPass app over the past year.
Ziegler said the older model vehicles will use a different “companion app” than FordPass to access their cars remotely.
He said Ford plans to use over-the-air firmware updates to add new technologies to the device as time goes on.
“There’s all sorts of things we can do to provide more engaging customer experiences,” he said.
[Source:-Automotive news]
