One week ago I had the tremendous honour of being chosen as one of 200 bloggers around the world to head to Detroit for the #FordNAIAS Digital Summit. The event was overwhelming and to me, it embodied ideas of past and future that I believe are cornerstones of the entire Ford brand. The first idea (the one that I’ll be focusing on today) is that moving forward can only be achieved with an understanding of, and respect for, the past.
We received our first glimpse into that past at the opening night dinner at the Henry Ford Museum. The rich history of this Detroit treasure was evident as soon as we walked through the door and I, like many others, was blown away by just how many amazing exhibits the museum contained. From the bus in which Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to the hilarious Oscar Meyer Weinermobile, the exhibits had my emotions jumping.
When my husband headed to the dealership to pick up the car, he got quite the shock when he turned the key and nothing happened. He headed back into the dealership to tell them that the vehicle wouldn’t start. And that’s how our family got its first introduction to driving a Hybrid vehicle! When the key is turned, the battery kicks in first and the gasoline engine starts up only when necessary. It’s a very surreal experience to hear no noise whatsoever as the car first drives forward!
And of course, the 2012 Lincoln MKZ came with the same newly redesigned MyFord Touch system as Ford’s other most popular vehicles so that climate, navigation, entertainment and phone management could all be controlled with the clever touch screen, the steering wheel controls or the voice activation. For a regular family vehicle, it really did offer the best of all possible worlds.