Ford slashes annual, monthly prices for hands-free driving service

(Reuters) – Ford Motor Co said on Tuesday it will lower the annual and monthly subscription prices for its hands-free driving technology.

Dubbed BlueCruise, the technology is available on certain Ford models and will now be offered as both a one-year plan and a one-time purchase option.

Automakers have been trying to incorporate more autonomous driving features such as lane-keep assist and adaptive cruise control on their vehicles over the past few years.

BlueCruise operates on 97% of U.S. and Canadian highways with no intersections or traffic signals.

Ford lowered the monthly price for the subscription to about $50 from $75. The annual plan will now cost $495, nearly half of the older price tag of $800.

The automaker added it will continue to offer a 90-day complimentary trial to customers who do not opt for the one-year plan or the one-time purchase at time of ordering the vehicle.

(Reporting by Nathan Gomes in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)