Overview
- Ford will launch an AI assistant in early 2026 through the Ford and Lincoln apps, with native in-vehicle integration planned for 2027 to use vehicle-specific data for tasks such as towing checks and cargo fit estimates.
- The Level 3 system is aimed at highway use starting in 2028 on models built on the Universal EV platform, which debuts in 2027 with a roughly $30,000 midsize electric pickup.
- Ford says it will develop core software and electronics in-house, introducing a unified compute module that is smaller, more powerful, and about 30% cheaper than its current hands-free hardware.
- The company plans to support Level 3 with lidar and expects the feature to be optional, with pricing and whether it is a subscription or one-time purchase still under evaluation.
- CES 2026 showcased diverging autonomy strategies as Nvidia unveiled its Alpamayo reasoning models and Elon Musk argued Nvidia’s efforts are years from challenging Tesla, while regulatory and liability barriers remain significant.