Apple technology coming to Ford’s revolutionary new car
The Ford Universal Vehicle Platform will feature integrated Apple Maps, working with the car’s semi-autonomous driving systems.
Ford is on the verge of revealing the first of its Universal Vehicles, set to be a sub-Ranger-sized ute with a drastic new look.
The brand has made bold claims about the mid-sized pickup, which it hopes will not only be a revolution to the brand but the wider automotive industry, especially in the US.
Now it has revealed the entire Universal Vehicle Platform family will feature integrated Apple Maps, allowing the navigation software to be natively installed in the infotainment system, which extends to the driver’s display.
Ford says that by using Apple’s new MapKit for Automotive SDK, its EVs will “offer drivers turn-by-turn directions using natural language, real-time traffic and incident information, intuitive search featuring detailed place cards, and routing options to help users easily find the best route to their destination”.
This will also extend to Apple Maps being used to pick the best routes for EVs, working with the architecture of the car to precondition its battery on approach to a charging location.
Most significantly, Ford has confirmed the UEVs will use “road-level information from Apple Maps as part of the development of its next-generation BlueCruise hands-free highway driving capability to deliver a more seamless on-ramp-to-off-ramp experience”.
In layman's terms, this means Apple Maps will work in tandem with Ford’s BlueCruise hands-free, semi-autonomous driving system to help guide the vehicle to its destination without further input from the driver behind the steering wheel.
“Our new midsize electric vehicle will be priced around US$30,000 (A$43,000) and redefines what advanced technology can be – simple, useful, and truly attainable for more customers,” said Ford CEO, Jim Farley.
“We’re proud to embed Apple Maps’ navigation and mapping technology directly into our Universal Electric Vehicle Platform, giving customers the ultimate navigation experience alongside our Ford app, a full suite of software, and next-generation BlueCruise, all enabled by a new zonal architecture.
“Apple Maps has delivered a world-class product, and we’re honored to be among the first to embed it directly into a vehicle, helping define intuitive, capable driving.”
The carmaker has previously claimed the new ute will be “as fast as a Mustang EcoBoost” (which accelerates from 0-100km/h in about 5.5 seconds), and will start from “about US$30,000 (A$45,400)”.
Jordan Mulach
While its name hasn’t officially been announced, Ford has recently trademarked the Ranchero name, previously used on a car-based ute in the US - similar to the Ford Falcon, or Chevrolet’s El Camino.
Due to launch in 2027 and become the first vehicle running Ford’s Universal EV Platform, the brand has gone so far as to claim its recent relationship with the world of Formula 1 has helped development.
In total, Ford claims its tweaks to the conventional shape of a pickup with the developments of its EV mean it is 15 per cent more aerodynamically efficient, delivering up to 80km more driving range.
