Ford has announced a new smartphone app lets owners record their car’s telemetry on-track.
The Ford Performance App uses an owner’s smartphone to record data from compatible Ford sports cars, starting with the new Ford GT in 2017. The feature will then be rolled out to other Ford Performance models in the future.
The app links with Sync 3, Ford’s latest infotainment system, and can log telemetry, analyse data, record video using the smartphone’s camera, and share track exploits with friends via social media channels. It can also be exported to a laptop or desktop computer. Ford promises that the app will be available on “the most popular smartphone platforms” from next year.
Features include multiple different recording modes and the ability to overlay data onto video, including the track layout, virtual gauges and statistics.
“Ford Performance wants to provide our customers with a simple, shareable way to capture their track exploits,” said Dave Pericak, global director of Ford Performance. “The ability to take their track sessions with them everywhere they go and easily share their footage and data with friends is a huge benefit of our new app.”
Ford is the latest in an increasing number of manufacturers offering performance-related apps. BMW’s M Laptimer records sensor data from compatible cars and offers analysis tools, while Ferrari Telemetry records and analyses driving data as well as syncing with a separate camera kit. Other manufacturers, including GM, offer performance recording and data analysis but using in-car hardware and external software, rather than through a smartphone.
Phill Tromans
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