One of the cars we want to see at NAIAS in Detroit next week is the 2015 Lincoln MKC. Announced in December and due out this summer, it's the first car from the Ford Motor Company to have a remote-control app for basic car functions. Up to now, only the small number of plug-in cars that use MyFord Mobile to manage their charge have had any sort of remote control.
The MyLincoln Mobile app will, of course, let you lock and unlock the car remotely and control heating and cooling in real time—common features for the remote-control apps currently out there. What's new and really cool (no pun intended) is that MyLincoln Mobile also lets you schedule an engine-start and climate control. If you know you're leaving work at 5:30 and your car's been baking in the office parking lot all day, you can make sure the car is properly cooled before you ever climb in.
Another high-tech convenience with a touch of safety is Approach Detection. The car can sense when you approach (with key in hand) and splash light onto the ground before the two front doors—Lincoln calls them "welcome mats." The headlamps, taillamps and door handles also start glowing—and it's not just any old glowlight, but one colored to complement the color of the vehicle. Of course. While other luxury vehicles like Range Rover Evoque offer illuminated "floor mats," at $33,995 the MKC is the lowest-priced luxury vehicle with this feature.
Personal customization is the kind of car tech that will appeal to drivers even if they're not so keen on some newfangled infotainment system. Future cars will sense our preferences, such as the temperature we like, the interior ambient lighting, and even the driving style of the car, based on the data it collects on how we operate the vehicle.
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