Ford removing active parking assist

[GroovyGeek]

https://www.thestreet.com/automotive/ford-is-taking-away-a-convenient-feature-no-one-uses

Doesn't affect Bronco owners but points to poor decision making at Ford to appease the bean counters. The bad publicity and costs to offset it easily offsets the measly savings. My wife has it on her car and absolutely loves it. In this days and age few passionate users can generate a lot of PR trouble.

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[DefNotBuddyLee]

I don't know that it is poor decision making if it is a feature people are not using like the article states. I get that your wife loves it, but that doesn't necessarily mean it is getting widespread use by everyone else. I don't have any data to say either way, just giving some perspective that for others they may rather have the savings than a feature they don't use. *see auto/start stop delete as an example*
As far as passionate users generating PR trouble, psshhh. Anything they do will have someone upset. I will continue to watch the news for the Hands Across America event to convince Ford to reinstate parking assist, though.

 

[Mlarv]

I have had it on three of my last four vehicles. I never used it. I can live without it.

 

[swami37]

Everyone I know with this option finds it useless. We all know how to drive and Use the mirrors

 

[DriveAllNight]

Here's the rub.
This is being publicized in the news, they are removing a $60 dollar part that was a $350 dollar option if not included in a trim level and it will save Ford millions.
The only way it will save Ford money is if they don't pass the savings down to the customers. If Ford continues to charge more and deliver less, eventually the buying public will turn elsewhere. We've been watching them do it with the Bronco, but because of the high demand on a newish offering people are taking it on the chin, but it won't last forever.
The value to cost ratio is so unbalanced as it is, auto makers will have to readjust or risk losing customers.


With that said, I don't think anyone is going to miss it.
There's a whole lot of features I'll never use, but they always get bundled with other features I want, so there's that.

 

[Coralhead]

People should learn how to drive their vehicles. Knowing/being able to Parallel parking was needed to get a drivers license.

 

[TrailRaider]

Had it on my 2012 Focus. Used it exactly 1 time, when I wanted to see if it actually worked.
Seems like they could make it an option for those who want it. It uses most the same sensors that every car now has as mandatory for other nanny features, minus possibly a control module.

 

[C-Note]

I have it on my F150 and have never used it. Granted, I’ve only owned the truck 2 months, but I’ve never felt the urge to figure out how it works and then use it. I’m pretty good at parking!

 

[GroovyGeek]

I have it on my F150 and have never used it. Granted, I’ve only owned the truck 2 months, but I’ve never felt the urge to figure out how it works and then use it. I’m pretty good at parking!

The "i don't need it" responders may be overlooking several use cases. Most suburban dwellers rarely have to parallel park and when they do this feature is helpful. In my experience this is particularly true of minivan driving moms. Additionally, parking in a tight spot, in a busy urban core with a column of cars behind you honking is not pleasant. I suspect that if Ford slices their data more carefully they will see a very bimodal distribution of users, depending on where they live.

Here's the rub.
This is being publicized in the news, they are removing a $60 dollar part that was a $350 dollar option if not included in a trim level and it will save Ford millions.
The only way it will save Ford money is if they don't pass the savings down to the customers.

Had not considered that, but that is indeed the case. The only way it saves Ford money is if they stop including it but continue charging for it.

 

[Brian_B]

Kinda like the Pro Trailer Assist on the F150 that required a doctorate to set up on a specific trailer - never used it. $60 in parts is probably about right - granted that doesn't account for the time they spent developing and testing the software, which I'm sure was significant...

But yeah - I think @DriveAllNight is exactly right - this doesn't mean your car will be $60 cheaper, it's just another $60 in Ford's pocket. Which, I'm all for them making a profit, don't get me wrong. Just feels dirty after watching a lot of people getting feature deletes and option drops with little to no cash back and dealer markups through the roof throughout the pandemic...

I guess you could say - well Ford and the Dealers are two different entities, and that's true. But they aren't exactly isolated from each other either, and one turns a blind eye to the other when they have the ability to influence it.

 

[HighVelocity]

So it's now inactive park assist?

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