Ford wants to make old cars connected (F)

pulse

March 21, 2018 2:21 PM

Ford revealed earlier this week that its SmartLink vehicle accessory, which adds connectivity features to nonconnected cars, will be available to consumers starting in the middle of this year

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Ford revealed earlier this week that its SmartLink vehicle accessory, which adds connectivity features to nonconnected cars, will be available to consumers starting in the middle of this year, reportsTechCrunch.

Once the device is plugged into the on-board diagnostic port, SmartLink connects to a mobile application through which users can lock and unlock their car doors, view vehicle health diagnostics, and get vehicle location alerts.

The device can also connect to Verizon's 4G LTE network to create a Wi-Fi hotspot within the car. Ford dealers will charge customers $16.99 a month for a two-year subscription contract. The device works with any Ford model from between 2010 and 2017 without embedded connectivity features. The US auto giant first announced SmartLink last summer but didn't specify at the time when it would start selling it to customers.

The adoption of this connected device could give Ford valuable data on users' in-car preferences, which may be leveraged to improve in-vehicle offerings. The automaker will likely be able to collect data on where these customers are driving, which it could both sell to third parties, such as retailers or restaurant chains, and use for its own internal efforts.

The automaker might also gain access to data on what riders are using the in-car hotspot to do, which could include streaming music or video, shopping online, or doing work. Ford could then leverage this data to create proprietary in-car services or a marketplace that hosts services from third-party companies.

GM launched an in-car marketplace last December, so Ford may want this data to help launch a similar platform to ensure its cars have features that measure up to those from its chief competitor. Stronger in-car offerings will help Ford capture a larger share of a rapidly growing connected car industry — total connected car shipments are poised to rise from 33 million last year to 77 million in 2025.

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