Ford breaks silence over reports on patent applications for in-vehicle ads

Reports have been circulating online that Ford has filed a patent to display in-vehicle ads in your cars. Earlier this month, we reported that the Michigan-based automobile giant is seeking to deliver personalized ads on the car’s display screen.

Basically, the patent describes a system that knows where you’re headed and shows you ads based on your destination, like if you’re going grocery shopping or making a purchase. It targets personalized ads based on vehicle data like destination, speed, and user preferences.

Now, in an email regarding our story, a Ford spokesperson reaches out to us and says that the patent is just “a normal part of any strong business” to “protect new ideas and help us build a robust portfolio of intellectual property.”

While the company does not explicitly confirm or deny that such a system will be applied in upcoming Ford cars in a black-and-white fashion, the spokesperson says that the idea “should not be viewed as an indication of our business or product plans.”

“No matter what the patent application outlines, we will always put the customer first in the decision-making behind the development and marketing of new products and services,” the spokesperson continues.

The patent, published in August 2024 but filed in February 2023, wasn’t Ford’s first patent for an in-vehicle advertising system. Previous patents also involved using cameras to read billboards and displaying ad content on car windows.