Ford gets German OK to offer Blue Cruise Level 2+AV tech

With BlueCruise, Ford drivers still have to keep an eye on the traffic. If they fall asleep or surf the Internet on their smartphone, an infrared camera detects this and a warning tone sounds. If the driver still does not react, the car brakes slightly.

After the U.K., Germany is the second European market where Ford can sell cars with a "Level 2+" semi-autonomous driving function, which allows drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel.

The German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) has given the go-ahead for Ford to offer its Blue Cruise technology, Ford said in a statement on Monday.

Ford drivers whose cars have Blue Cruise will be able to drive without their hands on the steering wheel on certain stretches of highway.

The Mustang Mach-E all-electric sports car will be Ford's first model to offer the technology.

"Data collected worldwide from more than one million test kilometers formed the basis for successful approval in Germany," Ford Europe's head of advanced driver assistence systems, Torsten Wey, said in the statement.

Other brands already have Level 2+ assistance systems on offer. BMW, for example, received KBA approval in June for hands-free driving on certain highway sections up to 130 kph (80 mph).

Mercedes has had the "Drive Pilot" in its S-Class and EQS luxury models since May 2022, enabling Level 3 driving. This enables automated driving on multi-lane carriageways even when the driver is watching a movie or operating their smartphone.

The Mustang Mach-E all-electric sports car will be Ford's first model to offer the technology.

With BlueCruise, Ford drivers still have to keep an eye on the traffic. If they fall asleep or surf the Internet on their smartphone, an infrared camera detects this and a warning tone sounds. If the driver still does not react, the car brakes slightly.

Initially, the Blue Cruise function can only be ordered in the Mustang Mach-E electric sports car.

There will be a charge for activating the system, and monthly or annual subscriptions will be available.

In the future, the system can also be ordered at the same time as the vehicle is purchased, in which case it should become cheaper.

In the U.S. and Canada, according to Ford, a total of 194,000 Ford and Lincoln vehicles have already traveled 175 million km in Blue Cruise mode. The system has been in use in North America since 2021.

BlueCruise was launched in the U.K. in April. Validation drives there have confirmed that the assistance systems used can also cope with difficult conditions - such as worn road markings, bad weather and road works.

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