Ford Mustang Power Wheels Smart Drive – Video
Ford and Fisher-Price® worked closely together to create the new Power Wheels® Smart Drive™ Mustang – a realistic and high-tech, fast and fun battery-operated ride-on toy. The officially licensed Smart Drive Mustang is designed to delight budding performance enthusiasts with original pony car-inspired looks and performance, and it’s packed with safety features sure to make parents happy, too.
Fisher-Price developed the scaled-down car, available in blue or pink, from real Ford design data. The result is an amazingly realistic Mustang – sized just for kids – that captures the spirit, style and high-tech features of the V8-powered Mustang GT their parents could drive.
“Mustang is one of our best-selling sports cars,” says Gary Collins, senior manager of design, Power Wheels. “For the Smart Drive Mustang, we wanted to amp up the realistic driving experience to make the feeling of getting behind the wheel even more thrilling for kids.”
The Smart Drive system is new for Power Wheels vehicles. At its core is the brand’s first computer-controlled powertrain, which opens up a world of features that make this Power Wheels Mustang a lot like the full-sized car:
Traction control: The computer can monitor for wheel slip and adjust motor speeds to help keep the car going over wet grass or bumpy terrain
Stability monitoring: A tilt sensor can detect when the car is reaching dangerous angles, turning off the motors to prevent rollovers
Digital speed control and battery monitoring: A backlit LED touch interface can allow parents to easily control top speed, from 1 mph to 5 mph, and check battery charge level
Slow start and stop: Instead of a simple on/off behavior, motors can now ramp speed up or down – for fast starts and short stopping distances
Perhaps most fun of all is the built-in sound system. It features engine sounds recorded from a real Mustang, which rise and fall with vehicle speed – just like a real car. An auxiliary input jack allows kids to play their own music on the biggest speaker ever installed in a Fisher-Price product.
Smart Drive Mustang is now on display at the Los Angeles International Auto Show. It will be available at retail in December for an MSRP of $359.99.