Ford Motor Co showed off its new Mustang at Asia’s biggest technology fair yesterday, billing it as “the smartest Mustang to date,” with voice controls and early-warning collision systems.
Due to go on sale in the Asia-Pacific region next year, the slick sports car can connect to drivers’ mobile apps using a platform which is to be introduced to Taiwan, New Zealand and Thailand next year for the first time, the company announced at the Computex trade show in Taipei.
Ford already introduced the AppLink technology — which allows drivers to make their mobile apps respond to voice commands — in China, Australia and India earlier this year.
Celebrating 50 years of production, the original Mustang was launched at an event on top of the Empire State Building in 1964 and quickly became a byword for cool among the US’ youth, who loved the highly customizable “pony car” that stood out next to their parents’ bulky sedans.
However, the latest edition of the Mustang may put the reins on rebellious teens, with a feature which allows parents to limit top speeds and audio volume.
Despite this sensible streak, Trevor Worthington, vice president of product development in the Asia Pacific, said the classic car continued to “resonate” with drivers.
“This enhances every aspect of driving, whether you’re listening to music, changing the radio station, optimizing your car for track driving or adjusting it for different road conditions,” he said of the new model, which has an aviation-inspired dashboard and comes with a choice of two different engines.
Smart technology and the Internet of Things — a term used to describe the connection of everything from cars to household appliances to cyberspace — is a major theme of Computex this year.
The Mustang adjusts the car’s speed automatically to keep a safe distance from vehicles in front and can boost brakes if it anticipates a collision.
Drivers can also set the car’s modes to normal, snow-wet, sport or track.
In addition to the Mustang, Ford is to demonstrate new vehicle-to-vehicle technology at Computex, which the company says would allow cars to share information and potentially prevent accidents.
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