Sometimes, as an automotive writer, my brain feels like a misfiring engine – igniting way too many topics at once. It’s as if I’ve got a dozen different articles simmering on the same metaphorical stove. All in one pot… while the other burners sit unused. And while this chaotic stew can occasionally yield some interesting flavor combinations, it often leaves me trying to strain-out the conspiracy theories before they boil over. Especially in the transitioning automotive era of software, mandates, & autonomy.
This time, though, I’ve decided to embrace the madness. Cue the tinfoil hat with chin straps – because this ride’s about to get bumpy. So, there I was, doing what I always do: scrolling through the endless vortex of car news & random stories.
That’s when I stumbled upon the 2025 Ford Expedition again…
Let’s start with the design. OK I’m here for the split tailgate – that’ll prove to be handy. However, it kind of throws off the proportions, creating a potentially awkward chasm of empty space between the rear bumper and the taillights. As if “atomic wedgie” was a design language. But – that’s just a little rant. The real issue however – the one that’s got me reaching for my tinfoil – is what Ford’s cooking up inside this thing.
Ford in-car advertisements…
As we’ve reported before, Ford patented the idea of in-car ads. Yes – advertisements coming across the screen/s of your car. And with the new 2025 Ford Expedition dashboard design featuring overlapping screens… it looks suspiciously ready to double as a rolling billboard. Picture this: you’re cruising down the road in your ludicrously expensive SUV, when an ad pops across your screens. Not just any ad. No – these are eerily specific, based on 1) your vehicle’s location AND/OR 2) something you casually mentioned during the trip.
“Oh look honey, they’re advertising those hiking boots I said I wanted… at the REI… just ahead at the next intersection. Isn’t that… convenient?”
And that’s just the front screens. Imagine the backseat monitors chiming in, interrupting Paw Patrol with, “Buc-ee’s has 37 slushy flavors! We’re only 10 minutes ahead!” The idea is both comical AND terrifying… because it’s a clear foreshadowing of how auto industry is envisioning the future – where YOU become a captive audience after the sale. It’s like Ford took a dystopian sci-fi novel, skipped the cautionary message, and said, “Let’s make it a business model.”
Are we really heading toward a future where our cars bombard us with targeted ads?
A future where your car tracks your location/direction, monitors your conversations, stores that data, and every surface inside your vehicle becomes real estate for holographic billboards? Picture a world where the glass in your self-driving car doubles as a screen, overlaying your view of the road with holograms hawking fast food, insurance, injury lawyers, and whatever else the algorithm thinks you need.
It’s giving big-time Blade Runner vibes – minus the cool neon & flying cars…
And sure – maybe this all sounds a little paranoid to the casual reader. But not if you’ve been paying attention to recent power-plays in the car industry… like BMW trying to monthly-charge customers to be able to use their heated seats. Or Dodge paywalling performance on their EVs. Maybe Ford won’t actually unleash Apocalypse: Expedition Edition. But the fact that they’ve patented this in-car advertising technology tells us one thing: someone, somewhere saw it as a valuable idea. And isn’t that exactly how dystopias start? One “good idea” at a time? This idea of being connected is going too far. And it’s coming at the cost of freedom.
•Get the free S3 Magazine app• (Apple)
•Get the free S3 Magazine app• (Android)
