With an increase in development of Internet of Things (IoT), connectivity has become an essentiality for people. While you are on road, travelling to some far off exotic destination or heading to an important business meeting; you wish to stay coherent to your surroundings. Keeping the matter in mind, Ford, leading American automaker, has taken the wraps off its new piece of hardware, known as ‘SmartLink device’.
The ‘SmartLink device’ is specifically designed for customers wishing to switch their regular cars into a connected vehicle. The device can be connected to the present OBD II port below the steering wheel in all 2010 – 2016 model-year Ford and Lincoln vehicles. The mentioned plug-in device is 4G LTE-enabled offering the passengers 4G Wi-Fi hotspot capable of linking with up to eight devices. The device will be available from this summer at Ford and Lincoln dealerships.
Stephen Odell, Executive Vice President, Global Marketing delightfully commented on the developed technology and said,
Ford SmartLink will surprise and delight owners of recent model-year vehicles by adding some of today’s most popular connectivity features, Offering it through our dealerships is another way to keep us connected with our customers and earn their loyalty.
Apart from turning the car in a 4G accessible area, the technology also provides connectivity of companion App and Web Portal to your smartphone. The app turns your phone into a car remote allowing you to control locking and unlocking of your automobile. Further, it will notify you about scheduled service appointments with your preferred dealer, vehicle health and provide with location assistance. The platform will also generate security alerts all thanks to Ford’s new SmartLink Technology.
The device has been realized in collaboration Delphi Automotive and Verizon Telematics, equipping the device with their world-class network solutions. The team claims to have tested the device a thousand times prior and have several improvements prior to announcing the device. Moreover, SmartLink is currently undergoing pilot trials at a few dealers in the U.S. and after the testing concludes the company will reveal the final pricing of the device.
It seems at the Global automotive company is on a go to enrich their customer experience. The company recently unveiled an expansion of its shuttle services to 8 more cities apart from working on integrating Alexa into its upcoming models. Ford also filed patents regarding a system that would let people snap the best selfies while inside their cars- isn’t it cool? right! The new device provides the authorized Ford dealers a great hand of opportunities with an all news means of generating revenues.
Raj Nair, executive Vice president, Global Product Development further expressed his joy and said,
We are thrilled to offer this level of convenience and connectivity to our existing customers, extending the value of their vehicles and giving them just one more reason to love their Ford and Lincoln vehicles.
