BlueCruise technology is no longer a niche and accumulates 300 million km traveled; use grows both in long trips and in urban traffic
The use of hands-free driving assistants on the wheel has gone from being a curiosity to becoming a habit among American drivers. Data released by Ford reveal that the BlueCruise system recorded an 88% growth in mileage traveled autonomously in 2025, driven, curiously, by owners of the F-150 pickup.
The technology, which allows you to take your hands off the wheel on mapped highways, is present in an ever-growing fleet. According to the automaker, more than 500 thousand new vehicles of the Ford and Lincoln brands equipped with the system entered circulation last year – an increase of 80% compared to 2024 – bringing the global total to 1.22 million active units.
SEE ALSO:
The survey points out that the F-Series, the best-selling line of pickup trucks in the US for 49 years, concentrates the most assiduous users of the technology. In the F-150 model alone, 303 million kilometers were driven and 1.6 million hours of use without hands on the wheel. The electric version F-150 Lightning, even facing fluctuations in demand in the market, added up to almost 52 million kilometers in autonomous mode.
The software update to version 1.4, available from the factory on the 2025 models and via remote update for the previous ones, helped to build loyalty. One fact that draws attention is the capillarity of technology in everyday life: more than 60% of BlueCruise activations occurred on short trips, lasting less than 20 minutes, indicating its use in daily work commutes.
However, confidence in the system for long distances has also grown. Trips lasting more than an hour on highways increased 120%, totaling 1.6 million occurrences, with peaks recorded during holidays and end-of-year parties. The trend reflects a survey by the consultancy AutoPacific, which points to the driving assistant as the most desired feature by 43% of consumers who intend to change their car.
