Ford Motor Company has unveiled BlueCruise 1.4, the latest upgrade to its driver-assist system, promising improved performance, smoother handling, and extended hands-free driving capabilities over previous versions. This iteration aims to enhance the driving experience while ensuring greater driver engagement.
Sammy Omari, Executive Director of Advanced Driver Assist System Technologies (ADAS) at Ford, highlighted significant enhancements in BlueCruise 1.4, including the ability to automatically adjust a vehicleâs speed in curves. This advancement allows drivers to remain engaged in hands-free mode for more extended periods, fostering a smoother and more continuous driving experience.
âImagine you are driving your Ford F-150 using BlueCruise on your daily commute and are coming up along a sharp curve on the highway. In prior versions, the system may have disengaged. BlueCruise 1.4 now helps adjust your truckâs speed to slow down along the curve while remaining engaged in hands-free mode. We found in our internal testing that BlueCruise 1.4 allows customers to stay engaged an average of at least eight times longer in hands-free mode compared to BlueCruise 1.0,â Omari stated.
The new motion controller in BlueCruise 1.4 enhances in-lane stability, minimizing side-to-side movement within a lane. It also maintains hands-free operations for longer durations in challenging weather conditions, including rain and direct sunlight.
BlueCruise 1.4 will be available in select 2025 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, including the Ford F-150 and Lincoln Navigator. Existing BlueCruise-equipped vehicles will receive the updated driver-assist system via an over-the-air software update in the near future.
Ford has reported significant milestones for BlueCruise, with 492,000 equipped vehicles currently on the road globally. In North America alone, customers have driven over 244 million hands-free highway miles across Ford and Lincoln brands. The system is available in various models, including the Ford F-150, F-150 Lightning, Expedition, Explorer, Mustang Mach-E, and the entire Lincoln lineup.