Ford Is Building A 'Vehicle Brain' For The Future

Ford outlined a clearer timeline for its next phase of vehicle software and automation, saying hands-off, eyes-off driving capability is targeted for 2028, while new AI-driven features will begin reaching existing customers much sooner.

At CES this year, the automaker pulled the curtain back on a new centralized computing architecture that it says will underpin everything from advanced driver assistance features to infotainment and over-the-air updates. Ford is calling it a “vehicle compute center,” a consolidated hardware and software system designed to replace the patchwork of electronic control units that have accumulated in modern vehicles over decades.

Traditionally, functions such as braking, climate control, infotainment, and driver assistance have been managed by dozens of separate computers, often supplied by different vendors. Ford’s new approach plans to combine those responsibilities into a smaller number of more powerful modules, allowing the company to update software more reliably and reduce complexity, cost, and weight.

This architecture will debut on Ford’s upcoming Universal EV Platform, which is being developed largely in-house by a California-based advanced engineering team. The first vehicle to use it is expected to be a midsize electric pickup priced around $30,000, slated to arrive in 2027. Ford says owning both the hardware and software stack gives it more flexibility and lowers long-term costs, while also improving its ability to roll out features across multiple models without major redesigns.

The unified system is also key to Ford’s automation roadmap. The company says the platform will support both Level 2 and Level 3 driver assistance, with the latter allowing drivers to take their eyes off the road under certain conditions.

Ford claims its approach could cut the cost of hands-free Level 2 systems by roughly 30 percent, and that full eyes-off functionality will be ready by 2028. Unlike General Motors, which plans to debut advanced automation only on high-end vehicles, Ford says it intends to introduce these features on more affordable models.

Alongside the hardware announcements, Ford introduced a new AI assistant that will first appear in the Ford and Lincoln smartphone apps, reaching up to eight million customers starting in the first half of 2026. The assistant is designed to bridge the gap between phone and vehicle, helping owners with practical tasks such as estimating cargo capacity or planning trips based on vehicle capabilities. Integration directly into vehicle infotainment systems is expected to follow in 2027, beginning with models like the Expedition and Lincoln Navigator.

For Ford, the bet is that smarter, more integrated technology can improve both customer experience and financial performance at a time when the industry is under pressure to control costs.

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