Ford
Infotainment systems have matured . Once symbol of switch off - boundary technical school , filmdom and smartphone connectivity are as obligatory in Modern cars as cupholders and stereophonic system . Keeping that in mind , Ford is updating its infotainment organization in a more subtle way .
Digital Trends got a preview of the fresh organization , known simply as the Ford and Lincoln Digital Experience , and slate to debut in the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus from Ford ’s luxury brand later this year at the automaker ’s headquarters in Dearborn , Michigan . What we saw was in spades new and ameliorate , but it does n’t fundamentally change the basic parameter of infotainment tech .
Ford
The message from Ford is that bragging screens are n’t going forth , but they will compact more mental object and functionality . It ’s cliché to say that cars are becoming more like smartphones on rack , but that seems to still be what Ford is go for here .
Fortified hardware
Ford had two examples of the Lincoln Nautilus on hired hand to show off the new infotainment system in its most elaborated form . The Nautilus has a splashboard - spanning 48 - inch video display cover with a little touch screen as well . The big display screen is positioned far back , near the base of the windscreen , which Ford says hold on everything close to the driver ’s crease of wad . It ’s also about where a head - up display would unremarkably be located , which is why the Nautilus does n’t have one .
What it does have is better hardware and more flexible package . Ford claims up to five times faster main processing and 14 times faster graphics processing than its current Sync 4 system of rules , with four times the memory , eight times the storage , and 5 G connectivity . Screens will bid 4 M firmness and dynamical dimming to keep acute contrast under dissimilar lighting conditions . Ford has also brought more software development in - sign of the zodiac , which the automaker claim will allow for quicker evolution of new features and over - the - breeze ( OTA ) updates .
The Lincoln display is really impressive . Some carmaker , likeMercedes - Benz , have disperse three single screens across the fascia . TheLucid Gravityhas a screen that stretches about midway across the flair . But Lincoln now has a true room access - to - door display . And while Ford fomite will keep a more conventional layout , with a central touchscreen and digital instrument cluster , they ’ll get the same hardware .
Google’s in the driver’s seat, but Apple and Amazon are still on board
Ford is also the up-to-the-minute automaker to stick out on the Google bandwagon , keep abreast Polestar , Volvo , General Motors , and Nissan in integrate the tech giant ’s apps straightaway with its vehicle . Google Maps and Google Assistant will serve as the defaults for navigation and voice control , severally , while Google Play Store integration will allow owner to download apps like Spotify straight off to their vehicles .
Like the other auto manufacturer leaning on Google for in - car technical school , part of Ford ’s auction pitch here is personalization . old hunt and preferences can be imported from other devices like a shot to the vehicle and add to a exploiter profile that include thing like seat and mirror preferences . Once everything is gear up up , drivers can simply necessitate Google to , for example , pilot “ nursing home ” without having to put in their rest home name and address .
Unlike archrival General Motors , though , Ford is n’t going all - in on Google . It ’s keeping bothAndroid AutoandApple CarPlaysmartphone connectivity — something GM has said itwill start out phase outsoon — mark that more than 50 % of customer presently habituate them . Amazon Alexa connectivity is also supported so machine driver can use Alexa for articulation control alternatively of Google Assistant . That agnostical advance proceed both way . While Apple is roll out amore expansive version of CarPlaythat effectively shoot over all dashboard silver screen , Ford is n’t commit to that just yet .
More apps, more content
Much of the time value Ford get word in its Google partnership is the Play Store and its power to summate new apps direct to cars , improving performance over the smartphone - found Apple CarPlay and Android Auto , which bank on the headphone ’s connective to a cellular web or Wi - Fi to get apps onto dashboard screens .
While Ford does expect to extend driving - related apps for things like parking or EV charging , most of what the automaker had to show was relate to amusement . The new system allows for embedded apps like Amazon Music , Spotify , and Audible while drive , as well as telecasting streaming via YouTube and Prime Video while park — alike to what ’s already offer by Tesla . The Vivaldi World Wide Web web browser ( also used byPolestar ) will also be accessible while parked , with Google Chrome plan in next updates . In - car play is on the menu as well .
New lineament will help turn car into yet another platform for digital cognitive content .
These feature will facilitate turn motorcar into yet another platform for digital content alongside smartphones , computers , tablets , and televisions — which is precisely where Ford reckon the market is heading .
“ That has just become expected as part of multitude ’s digital lives , ” Zafar Razzacki , Ford ’s director of future product , EV digital experiences and divine service , told Digital Trends . “ I recall it ’s a strategical decision based on what we make out about our customer and what our better half Google can give to us through the Play Store . ”
Decluttered display
While we did n’t have clip to watch an entire instalment ofJack Ryan , we did get a quick overview of the system in a stationary Lincoln Nautilus and a mock - up of the version going into Ford - branded vehicles .
What stuck out about the big Lincoln display was how well it made use of the expansive bird’s-eye formatting . Designers have pass around out function commonly crammed into a touchscreen or instrument clustering across the splashboard . Maps can be shown on the principal screen with an audio menu on the touchscreen below , yield each roughly the amount of substantial land as some cars ’ full screens .
map normally crammed into a touchscreen are propagate across the fascia .
The Nautilus ’ instrument cluster is also decluttered . It mainly shows speed and , if equipped , information forFord ’s BlueCruise driver - assistance system . subaltern information like tire pressure readouts and the clock have been moved to widgets on the passenger ’s side of the dashboard . According to Ford , these can be reconfigured to show dissimilar things and are project to be “ glanceable ” to minimize distraction . Their face is based on smartphone push notice , and engineers used eye - tracking tests to ascertain they meet safety guidepost for driver attention .
A destiny of this functionality appears tethered to the bigger display , which will be limited to Lincoln role model . The Ford version will be simpler , featuring built - in Google apps and picture cyclosis , but on a more conventional touchscreen layout . Ford is also contribute the ability to show maps in the cat’s-paw cluster , but that ’s been available from some other brands for a while now .
Question marks
Ford ’s next - contemporaries infotainment technical school shows that while automotive infotainment has reached a matured level of evolution , there are still some evolutionary leaping to be made . Like several of its fellow automakers , Ford is depend that customers will get wind to download and utilise apps from an in - car adaptation of the Google Play Store rather than just syncing their headphone . And it believes there ’s an appetence for in - cable car content streaming even while parked .
Ford claims to have marketplace inquiry to confirm these decisions , but it will still be interesting to see how customer respond when these Modern features wrap out . While a massive screen and cagy interface will decidedly avail Lincoln vie against the like of Audi , BMW , and Mercedes - Benz , the genuine test will be how Ford integrates this tech with the less - undivided , mass - market vehicles of its own brand .
Most importantly , though , these novel interfaces have to knead well not just in a stationary vehicle or mockup but out in the veridical world . Ford may be adding more smartphone - similar features , but cars are still for driving .
