FordPass: A Mobility App, Free to All, Most Useful to Ford Sync Owners

At the 2016 Detroit Auto Show, months of talking about Ford becoming a mobility provider finally paid off in an actual product announcement, when CEO Mark Fields unveiled FordPass, which he hopes will do for car ownership what iTunes did for music appreciation.

The idea is to help people facilitate getting from here to there, be that by Ford vehicle, another car, a ride-sharing service, public transportation, a rent-a-bike deal—whatever—and if they're arriving by car and need parking, to help with that too. There are four pillars to the FordPass concept, which is described as living in a "digital, physical, and personal world:" Ford Marketplace, Ford Guides, Ford Hub, and Ford Appreciation.

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This one helps broker paid services involved with transportation, things like ride-sharing services, car sharing services, parking reservations (using services like ParkWhiz and Parkopedia), rental bikes, etc. Members can pay for these services through FordPay - a virtual wallet. Ford owners can easily connect with their preferred dealer to schedule maintenance and service appointments or to review their Ford Credit vehicle finance account details. Ford owners with SYNC Connect can use FordPass to access features like remote start; lock and unlock; fuel, oil and battery charge level, and tire pressure monitoring; and to locate their vehicle. Ford has inked deals with most of these services to share a bit of the revenue, and that's about all the positive cash flow currently envisioned for what is otherwise conceived as a service that is free to all users, be they Ford owners or not. (You don't have to own an iPhone or MacBookPro to use iTunes, after all.)

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A big call center like those that power OnStar and other such services will be staffed with graduate-level assistants to help users determine the fastest, most efficient, least expensive, or most convenient mode of travel. Often their job will be to help the user understand how to utilize the features in Marketplace, but their job is only to inform—never to sell.

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These will be physical locations where users can obtain the information the Guides provide live via interactive maps and assistants. At these locations, people will also be able to sample new features of Ford connectivity, configure a Ford vehicle for sale, and enjoy other such services. These hubs are not "transactional," they simply serve as lead generation for Ford dealers or other service providers. The first one has opened up in the Westfield World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan New York, with other hubs planned for San Francisco, London, and Shanghai.

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Think of this as a frequent-traveler program for FordPass users, who will win points by booking parking or ride-shares, booking and keeping dealership service appointments, and interacting with FordGuides. Ford has set up arrangements with affinity partners like McDonald's and 7-Eleven, so that FordPass can recognize active members with access to merchandise and unique experiences.

The whole thing will exist as an app for your smart phone, and if it somehow catches fire with the public, Ford would love to be considered the Apple of the mobility world.