Lincoln To Call Its Hands-Free Driver-Assist System ActiveGlide

author: Vineeth Joel Patel   

Earlier this April, Ford announced that its hands-free driver-assist system will be called BlueCruise. The system launched in the 2021 Ford F-150 and 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E. At the time, Ford announced that Lincoln would receive its own version of BlueCruise, but we didn't have any information on Lincoln's version. Well, it's time to say hello to Lincoln ActiveGlide.

Different Names, Identical Tech

Aside from a different name, ActiveGlide appears to be nearly identical to BlueCruise. Just like BlueCruise, ActiveGlide utilizes cameras and radar to allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel on mapped sections of divided highways. These sections are called Hands-Free Blue Zones, while Ford's special zones are called Blue Zones. Lincoln and Ford have pre-mapped roughly 100,000 miles of highway in the United States and Canada.

While ActiveGlide becomes one of the few systems to allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel while the car is in motion, it's not considered to be an autonomous system. Lincoln's system is classified as a Level 2 system, which requires drivers to be ready to take over at any time. Additionally, ActiveGlide will come with a driver monitoring feature to keep a watchful eye on drivers.

Lincoln hasn't announced what vehicle it will launch ActiveGlide on. Being a luxury automaker, we could see the feature being offered on all of Lincoln's vehicles in the future. Although, the official announcement of ActiveGlide came at the same time as Lincoln's decision to offer a full portfolio of electrified vehicles by 2030. The first electric car from Lincoln will come out in 2022 and feature a "rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive battery electric flexible architecture." It's unlikely that Lincoln would wait that long to introduce the feature, since a few of Ford's models already have it, so the Navigator seems to be the likeliest model.

Lincoln Joins A Select Few

Cadillac was the first automaker on the scene to come out with a hands-free system called Super Cruise. The feature launched with the CT6 sedan and has since expanded to the Escalade, CT4, and CT5. General Motors even expanded Super Cruise to a few of Chevrolet's vehicles, including the new Bolt EUV.

While Lincoln hasn't confirmed all of ActiveGlide's specs, we're not surprised to hear that it's similar to BlueCruise. It makes plenty of sense to offer the same system on both Ford and Lincolns. Ford, though, did things a little differently. Most automakers introduce high-tech driver-assist features on luxury brands and then trickle that feature down to mainstream vehicles — like Cadillac did with Chevrolet. Ford's approach is the opposite, but the mainstream brand has more popular vehicles than Lincoln, so it made sense.

Clearly, Lincoln has some big changes in the pipeline. Electric vehicles and cutting-edge tech features will ensure Lincoln remains competitive in the rapidly changing landscape.

Vineeth Joel Patel

Joel Patel has been covering all aspects of the automotive industry for four years as an editor and freelance writer for various websites. When it comes to cars, he enjoys covering the merger between technology and cars. In his spare time, Joel likes to watch baseball, work on his car, and try new foods