Driver-Assist: The Future Is Here With Ford’s Co-Pilot360

Did you know that the phrase riding shotgun comes from stagecoaches? That’s right. It wasn’t your older brother trying to get the front seat before you could. Back then, the stagecoach would have a man/woman riding shotgun (riding next to the driver) who was the guard or driver-assist of the stagecoach. They would help the driver by always being on the lookout in the natural surroundings, which could be pretty treacherous. The only thing treacherous now are cars speeding up into your blindspot while you try to change lanes.

Well, that’s where Ford comes in.

Introducing Co-Pilot360

Ford has taken the assistance of the shotgunner and turned it into a suite of technologically advanced features that will come standard on every Ford vehicle.

So long are the days of needing your buddy looking over their shoulder and relying on their information, after all, humans are… human. Plus, at Randall Reed’s Planet Ford, customers want the latest and greatest automotive technology.

Earlier this year, Ford introduced Co-Pilot360, its advanced suite of standard driver-assist technologies among full-line brands. Co-Pilot360 aims to help people around the world more safely and confidently face congested roads.

“Though our vehicles today are safer than ever, drivers tell us they are still stressed about getting in a potential accident,” said Jim Farley, Ford president, Global Markets. “That’s one reason why we’re making these must-have technologies accessible to millions of customers each year.”

Most Advanced Standard Driver-Assist Package

The advanced tech suit includes:

• standard automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection,
• blind spot information system,
• lane keeping system,
• rear backup camera and auto high beam lighting.

This combination of assist features isn’t offered on non-luxury competitors in as standard in North America. Ford Co-Pilot360 will roll out across Ford’s new passenger cars, SUVs and trucks up to F-150 in North America, and will appear on the new 2019 Ford Edge and Edge ST this fall (very, very soon).

Compare Standard Driver-Assist Technologies 

Ford Co-Pilot360 starts with standard automatic emergency braking – called pre-collision assist with pedestrian detection – that can help drivers avoid collisions with other vehicles or pedestrians who might accidentally cross in front of the vehicle’s path. If a potential collision is detected, a warning flashes and an alert sounds, and if the driver’s response is not sufficient, the system can automatically apply the brakes to help minimize a frontal collision.

The technology addresses Ford research showing a growing trend of people worrying about hitting pedestrians – and will be standard on 91 percent of Ford vehicles in North America by 2020.

Blind spot information system, or BLIS, uses radar to identify a vehicle entering the blind spot and alerts the driver with an indicator light in the side-view mirror. Cross-traffic alert can warn drivers of traffic behind when slowly backing out of a parking spot or driveway.

Lane keeping system has three functions:

• The first can notify drivers through steering wheel vibration that they need to correct course when the system detects the vehicle drifting close to lane markings
• The second provides steering torque to steer back toward the center of the lane
• Third, a driver alert system, continuously monitors driving pattern using a forward-looking camera and provides visual and audio warnings when the system estimates the driver’s vigilance level to be less than that of an attentive driver

Commercial customers can also benefit from Ford’s expansion of driver-assist technologies. By 2020, E-Series, F-650 and F-750 and even our F59 chassis will come with available automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, driver alert system and more.

A National Transportation Safety Board study shows having technologies such as AEB can help prevent and mitigate rear-end crashes, which can help customers lower their cost of ownership.

“Our commercial customers trust our trucks to get the job done,” Farley said. “And soon, we’ll be giving them another reason to trust us even more.”

Trusting Future Tech

Ford will continue to introduce new driver-assist technologies. Next year, it plans to debut in North America and Asia Pacific automatic emergency braking for when drivers are in reverse.

The company also is investing $500 million the next five years to continue developing new driver-assist and safety technologies. Key areas of focus will be simplifying the technologies so they work as people expect – especially as driving controls become more automated.

Researchers test the user experience with many new technologies at Ford’s VIRTTEX driving simulator in Dearborn and run new systems through a battery simulations built from more than hundreds of thousands of miles of testing across the country. For example, engineers tested a recent suite of radar and camera technologies for more than 660,000 miles across the globe.

This work also will help people become more comfortable with the idea of autonomous vehicles.

“Many people question the idea of autonomous vehicles,” Farley said. “But those who use advanced driver-assist technologies today say they are more open to cars doing all of the driving in the future.”

As we get further into the 21st century, the need, want and availability for advanced driving assist features will continue to grow, and with Ford’s continued work as an industry leader in implementing new technologies into their vehicle lineups, you can count on Ford to always lead the way in industry safety standards.

Keep an eye out for the 2019 Ford Edge and Ford Edge ST with Co-Pilot360 to hit our lot this fall. For more information, visit Planet Ford in Humble (serving Atascocita, Kingwood, Katy and Conroe) off HWY 59.