Your Ford may soon be able to help you find parking spots, cheaper fuel rates

Ford and analytics company INRIX have teamed up to help customers of the car company find cheaper price options for fuel and locate open parking spots.

These services will be available in Ford vehicles equipped with updated Sync 4 infotainment system in nearly 20,000 cities in 150 countries. Starting with the all-new Mustang Mach-E, Bronco two- and four-door models, and F-150, the new Sync 4 real-time connectivity will help drivers get the latest available traffic, incident, parking, charging and fuel information.

While navigating on their touchscreens, Ford drivers will be able to find, compare and navigate to available parking spaces, as well as search for the lowest fuel prices and drive to stations nearby.

Ford Sync 4 infotainment screen

The Sync 4 technology also combines conversational voice recognition with internet search for easy navigation. It will soon also provide users with routes to the closest street and garage spot, including rates, restrictions and real-time occupancy. "Customers want connected vehicle technologies to work more like smartphones with real-time, personalized services – and that is exactly what Sync 4 offers," says Gary Jablonski, manager, Ford Connected Vehicle Infotainment Systems.

INRIX collects billions of anonymous data points every day from a diverse set of sources. INRIX Parking offers access to the world’s most comprehensive and accurate parking database in 150 countries. INRIX Fuel allows drivers to search for nearby stations and view dynamic pricing to find their preferred fuel at the lowest price. Powered by OPIS by IHS Markit, the service proves location, brand and real-time pricing information for more than 380,000 fuel stations around the world.