Photo: Ford
Ford Motor Company of Europe is the top commercial brand on the continent, and a round of updates to its CV lineup shows that the automaker doesn’t plan on having that change. The seven core vehicles at the heart of Ford’s market dominance in Europe — including heavy hitters like the Ford Transit, Ranger, and Tourneo — now come standard with a FordPass Connect modem and complimentary connected services.
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Because every Ford CV sold in Europe will have a built-in modem, they will also have access to over-the-air updates, which keeps vehicle software and modules current and cuts down on maintenance costs.
“Connectivity is the cornerstone of our mission to deliver smart vehicles for a smart world. We recently produced our 100,000th connected commercial vehicle and expect to deliver our millionth within the next three years,” said Ford of Europe Commercial Vehicle Mobility Director Mark Harvey. “We are leading the way with a wealth of innovative new connected vehicle solutions designed to help our customers thrive — no matter how tough the road ahead.”
The FordPass Connect modem provides access to Ford Telematics and Ford Data Services, which are aimed at increasing fleet efficiency. The option to update nearly instantaneously with OTA capabilities means that these technologies as well as features like SYNC and AppLink remain current without requiring a trip to the dealership.
FordPass Pro adds new Guard Mode
Last year, Ford launched the FordPass Pro app, aimed at facilitating and streamlining fleet management and commercial vehicle operations. Later this year, the app adds a new system called Guard Mode, which will also become the first feature added to modem-equipped CVs via over-the-air updates.
Guard Mode lets drivers, operators, and managers monitor vehicle security remotely. If someone enters a vehicle, pops the hood, or starts the vehicle with the system enabled, a notification pops up on the user’s smartphone. It will also protect against key cloning with notifications for whenever a vehicle is opened using a physical key.
FordPass Pro is free to download for owners in Europe. In addition to Guard Mode, it lets users remotely access vehicles, provides vehicle health updates, and keeps track of maintenance schedules.
Ford was Europe’s No. 1 commercial brand in 2019 and had a 15 percent market share through the first quarter of this year. Within the next 24 months, the automaker will launch an all-electric version of the Transit.
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Kyle S. Johnson lives in Cincinnati, a city known by many as “the Cincinnati of Southwest Ohio.” He enjoys professional wrestling, Halloween, and also other things. He has been writing for a while, and he plans to continue to write well into the future. See more articles by Kyle.