How the "Internet of Things" Will Affect Your Ford | All Star Family Ford

Transportation has changed just a wee bit since the 18^th century and its horse-and-buggy days, and we don’t just mean horsepower versus horsepower. Think about the experience then versus now. Wind-in-the-hair driving dynamics are about all the decades still have in common. Technology then was advanced, but technology now is almost sci-fi by comparison.

One of the most interesting has to do with communications through our vehicles. Now, you might expect this new wave of innovative technology to have some kind of computer-geeky name, but it’s actually the strangely entertaining and layman-understandable phrase  “Internet of Things.” Those in the know call it IoT. Simply put, it’s communication between objects, thanks to an interconnected network, sensors, and the like. It’s smart technology to the max, and we already see it in ways such as talking to our kitchen appliances from outside the home.

On the automotive side, Ford and Intel are teaming up to explore new opportunities for the connected car, hoping to offer the ability to remotely peer into your car using a smartphone as well as facial recognition software that could identify the owner of the vehicle and automatically adjust features based on that person’s individual preferences, in addition to offering more privacy controls.

The collaborative project is called Mobile Interior Imaging (Project Mobii), and could create a more personalized and seamless interaction between you and your vehicle. Fun fact: Mobii research has included input from anthropologists.

As you know, Ford already utilizes exterior cameras on vehicles for driver-assist features, including Lane Departure Warning. Mobii will look into how to use cameras inside the vehicle. This could mean calendar, music and contacts specific to the person ID’d in the facial recognition software. If it doesn’t recognize the person? The vehicle owner gets a photo via smartphone and can then enable or disable features as needed. And imagine gesture recognition software, too, where your natural gestures could open the sunroof or turn up the A/C.

Connecting with the future is within arm’s length, and if Ford has its way, the future really will be just one “come here” gesture away from reality.

Source:  http://social.ford.com/our-articles/cuvs/c-max/how-the-internet-of-things-will-affect-your-ford/

2014 Ford Fiesta Earns Multiple Awards at Texas Auto Writers Association Rally with EcoBoost Engines

It’s no doubt; here at All Star Family Ford in Amarillo, TX we love the 2014 Ford Fiesta. Sure, trucks are our big movers and that’s what we sell mostly, but we can really get behind the idea of a super efficient subcompact with great styling and all of Ford’s innovative features. That’s why we’re excited to announce that the Fiesta has earned multiple honors at this year’s Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) Rally! This 49 car event is a chance for auto journalists to judge all sorts of new cars and was held at the Texas Motor Speedway.

First, the 2014 Ford Fiesta SE equipped with the 1.0-Liter EcoBoost engine has been awarded the Sub-Compact Car of Texas title. This small but powerful three-cylinder manages to put out over 120 hp and runs so smooth you wouldn’t even think it was anything but a four cylinder. With an EPA estimated 32/45 mpg it is one of the most efficient gasoline engines on the market. It is for the excellent engineering and refinement that TAWA also named the 1.0L EcoBoost as the Best New Feature.

The 2014 Ford Fiesta ST, a sporty hot hatch that is quickly earning a name as one of the most fun-to-drive cars on the market, also earned some recognition at the TAWA event. Equipped with the surprisingly powerful 1.6-Liter EcoBoost, the Fiesta ST boasts 197 hp and 202 lb-ft of torque. For such a small vehicle these are some serious numbers and make for a great driving machine as they are matched to an excellent chassis and superb suspension tuning. More than 50 Texas auto writers at the event named the ST as the Best Value product at the rally. The Fiesta ST also earned the title of Performance Compact Car of Texas.