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Ford
Co-Pilot360
includes
standard
automatic
emergency
braking
with
pedestrian
detection,
blind
spot
information
system,
lane
keeping
system,
rear
backup
camera
and auto
high
beam
lighting.
Ford
Co-Pilot360
rolled
out
across
Ford’s
new
passenger
cars,
SUVs and
trucks
up to
F-150 in
North
America
in 2019.
(Ford
Photo) |
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The auto
industry
pushes
fast
forward
toward a
more
high-tech
driving
experience
to draw
in
younger
buyers
By HB
Meeks-Automotive
Editor
Tell Us
USA News
Network
DETROIT
–
Domestic
automotive
manufacturers
FCA,
Ford,
and GM
are in a
heated
quest to
attract
the new
tech-savvy
American
consumer.
This
group of
buyers
are
young
people
in which
industry
designers
can no
longer
impress
with
chrome
and
curves.
In a
recent
survey
of 8,000
respondents,
Brandwatch,
a
consumer
research
company,
identified
some of
the most
important
trends
as
quality
and
affordability
at the
top of
the
list.
Followed
by
eco-friendly
and
autonomous
vehicle
technology,
which is
of most
interest
to
Millennial
and Gen
Z
shoppers.
According
to The
Center
for
Automotive
Research
(CAR), a
nonprofit
organization,
"Products
manufactured
by the
automotive
industry
are
among
the most
technologically
sophisticated
available
to the
general
public.
The
vehicles
American
consumers
drive
off
dealership
lots
across
the
country
are the
end
result
of a
long
series
of
high-tech
stages
encompassing
education,
research,
testing,
and
manufacturing
–
leading
to
machines
that
typically
operate
for a
decade
or more
and
travel
hundreds
of
thousands
of miles
in all
types of
weather
and over
all
kinds of
roads."
The auto
industry's
attempt
to draw
younger
car
buyers
into
their
showrooms
has
primarily
been to
equip
their
models
with
advanced
smartphone
connectivity
features,
Bluetooth,
and
other
high-tech
amenities.
This
trend
often
has the
opposite
effect
on older
and less
technically
minded
car
buyers.
And in
many
cases,
older
drivers
tend
to stay
with
what is
familiar
to them.
New
safety
technology
can help
novice
drivers,
providing
them
with an
extra
pair of
eyes and
ears.
Parents
and
newbies
look for
cars
with
features
that
warn of
an
impending
crash,
blind-spot
monitoring,
and
automatic
emergency
braking
system
that
applies
the
brakes
to avoid
a
collision.
Recently,
General
Motors
introduced
'Ultra
Cruise,'
advanced
driver-assistance
technology
to
enable
its goal
of zero
crashes,
zero
emissions,
and zero
congestion.
Designed
to
ultimately
enable
hands-free
driving
in 95
percent
of all
driving
scenarios,
which
gives
young
drivers
better
control
over
their
vehicles.
This new
technology
nudges
this
next
generation
of
drivers
closer
to
accepting
the
advent
of
autonomous
automobiles.
Ford and
FCA have
followed
this
trend,
hoping
to
capture
their
share of
this
emerging
market.
There is no
getting
around
it; if
automotive
manufacturers'
products
are not
tech-savvy,
you can
forget
the next
generation
of
shoppers
driving
your
cars.
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