Apart from the launch of BS6-compliant (Bharat Stage 6) EcoSport, Ford India has had a quiet 2020. Until now. The Indian arm of the American carmaker has announced that all BS6-ready models, and their variants, will come fitted with FordPass. In other words, FordPass will be a standard feature in all Ford cars. It is the company’s mobility and connectivity solution that is also available in several markets around the globe. In India, the Ford EcoSport becomes the first car to get it.

How does it work?

Ford cars will come with a factory-fitted, cloud-connected device. That will use a 4G data connection to establish communication between the vehicle and the FordPass smartphone application. This feature is available to use free of cost for a period of three years from the vehicle purchase date. The FordPass app is available for both iOS and Android mobile users.

What will it offer?

In addition to the Accounts section, which customers will have to use to create their login ID and password, there are three other main sections – Move, Find and Guide. The first out of those three offers features such as remotely starting/stopping and locking/unlocking the car, checking vehicle health, accessing data such as remaining fuel levels, distance to empty and odometer reading, and locating the vehicle. One could even access the vehicle’s service and maintenance history.

The second section is self-explanatory. It provides information and directions for points of interest, fuel stations and even Ford dealers. Under the Guide section, users can seek help for commuting. That’s possible either by accessing the knowledge database and fishing out the answer or by connecting to a trained professional via email or call. Consumers can even call for roadside assistance from this section in FordPass.

Can existing customers use it?

Only a handful of services will be available. The list includes locating dealers, finding directions and accessing the service history.