Does Ford have self driving?
Ford does not offer a fully autonomous self-driving vehicle for consumers today. The company provides advanced driver-assist features, led by BlueCruise on select models, and previously pursued autonomous driving through the Argo AI venture, which Ford wound down several years ago. There is no Ford-branded robotaxi or truly autonomous consumer car on the market as of 2025.
Current self-driving capabilities
Ford’s current approach centers on hands-free highway driving assistance rather than a true self-driving system. The driver must remain attentive and ready to take control, and the feature is available only on supported routes and models.
- BlueCruise: Hands-free highway driving assist on mapped sections, available on select Ford and Lincoln models. It relies on cameras and sensors, requires the driver to stay alert, and operates as a Level 2 driver-assist system rather than full autonomy.
- Active Glide (Lincoln): Lincoln’s branding for a similar hands-free highway driving experience on mapped routes, sharing the same underlying technology as BlueCruise. It also requires driver monitoring and is not a fully autonomous system.
- Complementary driver-assist features: Adaptive cruise control, lane-centering, collision warnings, and similar aids that work with, but do not replace, driver control.
In sum, Ford’s consumer offerings today focus on driver-support rather than autonomous operation. The systems are designed to assist on highways under specific conditions and do not enable true self-driving on city streets or in complex traffic.
Historical context: Argo AI and the autonomy strategy
Ford once pursued full autonomy through a strategic stake in Argo AI, a startup dedicated to Level-4/5 autonomous driving. The plan was to develop a scalable autonomous platform for both passenger and commercial use. In 2022, Ford (and its partner Volkswagen) decided to wind down Argo AI, discontinue the consumer autonomy program, and refocus on driver-assist tech and potential commercial autonomy via other means. Since then, Ford has not launched a consumer self-driving service and has not depended on Argo AI as a consumer-ready platform.
- 2017–2022: Ford invested in Argo AI and conducted demonstrations and pilots to test autonomous capabilities on public roads.
- 2022: Ford and VW wind down Argo AI’s operations; Ford shifts emphasis toward BlueCruise/Active Glide and other software-driven driver aids.
- 2023–2025: Public-facing autonomy services for individual consumers have not materialized; the focus remains on Level 2/2+ driver assistance and potential future commercial autonomy via partnerships rather than a broad consumer robotaxi offering.
These developments illustrate a pivot away from a consumer-ready autonomous car toward enhanced driver-assist features and targeted autonomous applications in commercial contexts.
What to expect going forward
Looking ahead, Ford is likely to continue expanding its driver-assist ecosystem, improve map coverage and reliability for BlueCruise/Active Glide, and explore autonomous solutions for fleets and logistics rather than launching a general consumer self-driving car. Regulatory, safety, and scalability considerations will shape timelines for any deeper automation beyond Level 2.
- Broader availability and refinement of BlueCruise/Active Glide across more models and regions, with ongoing OTA updates.
- Continued exploration of autonomous software and hardware through partnerships, pilots, and commercial applications rather than a mass-market robotaxi.
- Emphasis on safety protocols, driver monitoring, and compliance with evolving regulatory standards.
While Ford’s technology portfolio includes advanced driver aids and ongoing autonomy-related research, there is no current plan to offer a fully autonomous, driverless Ford vehicle to consumers in the near term.
Summary
As of 2025, Ford does not provide fully autonomous self-driving cars. The company’s consumer technology centers on Level 2 driver-assist features like BlueCruise and Lincoln’s Active Glide, with Argo AI no longer in use as a consumer autonomy platform. Ford’s strategy emphasizes robust driver support today and potential, limited autonomous applications in commercial settings, rather than a broad, on-demand self-driving car for the public.
