Ford’s BlueCruise semi self-driving tech delayed for two to five months

KUALA LUMPUR: Ford grabbed a lot of attention when it announced that it will be launching an all-new BlueCruise semi self-driving technology for its all-electric models like Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning towards the end of 2021. However, the end of 2021 is nearing and Ford has recently announced that the BLueCruise will now be arriving in the first quarter of 2022.

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In a discussion between Ford’s CEO Jim Farley’s and CNBC, the head of the Blue Oval auto giant stated that the company is working on simplifying the semi self-driving technology and wants to leave the least possibilities of errors in the system. While he hasn’t confirmed the exact date of the launch this time, he indicated that the system will be made available in the two electric vehicles between the next two to five months.

According to Ford’s estimation, around 80 per cent of the owners of the Mustang Mach-E SUV will be opting for the BlueCruise technology in the years ahead. Except for the base model, the BlueCruise tech will be made available in the Mustang Mach-E as standard. However, one can opt for the system in the base variant too with an additional premium of $3,200. For the F-150 Lightning, Ford is assuming that 15 per cent of its sales units will come equipped with this feature in the time to come.

The BlueCruise semi self-driving technology has already attracted its fair share of controversy, as General Motors has filed a lawsuit against the use of the term ‘BlueCruise’ citing a copyright issue. However, the system is believed to be in the league of Tesla’s AutoPilot when it comes to active safety systems.

In addition to the delay in BlueCruise technology, the global shortage of semi-conductor chips is one of the biggest shortcomings Ford has been facing in recent times. In a conversation between Ford’s CFO John Lawler and CNBC, the former said that the problem of chip shortage is expected to continue till 2023. However, the effects of the shortage will keep on decreasing with time.

Despite this persistent issue, Ford is eyeing a 10 per cent increase in its vehicle sales in 2022 as compared to what it has achieved in 2021.

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