We typically think of cars as hard goods, like refrigerators and stoves, but the car of the future will be made up of millions of lines of software, as well as a chassis, engine, and gracefully sculpted body, said Ford CTO Paul Mascarenas at the InformationWeek 500 Conference in Dana Point, Calif.
Mascarenas showed off a video of the Ford Evos, a concept car with gull-wing doors, both front and back. "We would like to offer a very personalized driving experience ... We think the vehicle should get to know you, as opposed to you needing to get to know the vehicle," he said at the conference Tuesday.
That might one day include a seat belt that measures your breathing rate or a steering wheel that takes your temperature. But as of today, it is more likely to include Ford's Sync service, which can send a driver turn-by-turn navigation instructions, a vehicle health report, or the results of a search for a nearby gas station. It is also a general-purpose entertainment and information system.