Ford Weighs Dropping Automated Parallel Parking Feature in Bid to Save Millions of Dollars Annually

Feb 08, 2024 08:24 PM EST

RED CAR NATURE STONE TREES, FORD MUSTANG — (Photo : PIXABAY/ BKD)

In 2024, Ford Motor Co. is contemplating eliminating the automated parallel parking feature from its vehicle lineup as a means of reducing costs. The company notes that customers do not use them at all. Ford will phase out the parking assistance technology, which introduced automated driving to the car industry, in favor of a new cost-cutting strategy. This strategy calls for halting the release of new features if they don't materially improve user engagement.

Ford's Move: Active Park Assist No More

During a conference call with analysts on Tuesday, Chief Operating Officer Kumar Galhotra stated that the automaker intends to implement certain alterations in materials and designs to enhance efficiency and reduce costs.

According to Fox Business, Galhotra noted that using connected vehicle data is significantly useful for Ford in gauging customer usage of specific features. Based on this analysis, it's logical to discontinue the automated parallel parking feature.

this move will result to significant savings for Ford. He stated that it could result in saving approximately $ 60 per car equating to an annual saving of around $ 10 million.

This approach represents Ford's method of uncovering $2 billion in savings across its entire operations. Although a significant portion of these savings will stem from mundane aspects such as reduced freight expenses and streamlining the supply chain.

According to CarScoops, Galhotra provided more details on Ford's extensive manufacturing benchmarking program. This entails both external assessments carried out at the station-by-station level and internal assessments to capitalize on creative concepts already in place.

In addition, The Blue Oval focuses on developing its manufacturing processes and revamping its cars.

Cost Saving Strategy Target: Save Millions of Dollars Per Year

According to Car and Driver, this entails both external assessments carried out at the station-by-station level and internal assessments to capitalize on creative concepts already in place.

Ford is discontinuing the feature that enables certain models to perform self-parking. Despite being available for over a decade, Active Park Assist hasn't garnered the level of popularity implied by its marketing efforts.

The larger amount in this picture is $20 billion, representing the anticipated savings from discontinuing features like the Active Park Assist. This decision is driven by numerous operational expenses tied to aspects like freight, manufacturing, and materials.

By eliminating such technology, automakers like Ford may become less dependent on semiconductor chips, which led to the suspension or removal of various features during the recent shortage, including Active Park Assist.

At the moment, Ford offers its automated parking system on a variety of vehicles, including the full-size F-150 pickup, the electric Mustang Mach-E, and the small Escape SUV.

In a guide created by Car and Driver, it stated that automobile manufacturers have at last delivered a much-anticipated solution for drivers who have either steered clear of parallel parking over the years or fretted repeatedly about their parallel parking endeavors.

Parallel parking has been a persistent challenge for licensed drivers and remains one of the most anxiety-inducing aspects of a driving examination. Numerous drivers grapple with the maneuver, frequently resulting in damage to their vehicles or resorting to seeking alternative parking arrangements.

Despite the availability of modern aids like parking sensors or reversing cameras to alleviate the difficulties associated with parallel parking, a significant number of drivers still opt to steer clear of it altogether.