How cars are becoming video games

The 2024 Mustang: Graphics and Simple Mode

Ford F,
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has lifted the curtain on the seventh – and latest – generation of its classic muscle car.

The 2024 Ford Mustang is characterized by its classic proportions – park it next to the 1965 original and you’d immediately see that the two are related.

It is noteworthy that its technology has not changed – buyers can choose between two petrol engines, zero-hybrid powertrains and Nada electric options.

And it stands out, of all things, for its remarkable emphasis on graphics. In its initial press release on the 2024 Mustang, Ford devoted more words to discussing the seventh-generation pony car’s screens than the optional Coyote V-8 engine.

Even the language designers use borrows more from the industry that gave us the Playstation than what gave us the Camaro vs. Mustang.

“We exploit every pixel,” said Craig Sandvig, Ford’s interaction design manager.

The car uses the Unreal Engine 3D design tool to render its graphics. Drivers can adjust settings like steering feel and engine response by swiping through a 3D model of the car “in true gamified style,” says Ford.

Electronic drift brake

Perhaps the Mustang owes as much to the Xbox as its new “Electronic Drift Brake.”

We let Ford explain:

“An industry-first electronic drift brake brings new technology to the racetrack, unlocking the rear-wheel drive Mustang’s drift capability with the visual appeal and functionality of a traditional mechanical handbrake. The Performance Electronic Parking Brake comes standard with the Performance Pack on all Mustang models and is designed for novice drivers to learn and improve their drifting skills, while providing experienced drivers with a competitive system.”

This thing has an electronic system designed to make drifting easier.

Drifting is of course one of the most difficult driving skills to master. A precisely managed loss of differential control, it’s a cautious sideways turn with the front wheels pointing in the opposite direction of the turn.

It’s murder on the tires. It’s hard to learn. And outside of track conditions, it’s not safe.

Above all, it’s something millions of gamers have learned on screen, but few drivers can master in real life. So Ford built in a simple mode as a marketing tool.

See also: The best automotive technologies to look out for when buying a new car

Other cars: the boost button

It’s not just Ford. In the last year we’ve seen a number of cars with a Mario Kart-style boost button.

The Hyundai Elantra N might have the baddest (and funniest) version. It’s a button on the steering wheel in the high-performance version of Hyundai’s HYMTF,
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cheap compact car. Tapping it will give you an extra 10 HP for 20 seconds.

But Dodge also put it in the all-new 2023 Hornet (the one Eric Brandt loves so much). Dodge calls it “Powershot”. You pull the shift paddle to access a brief horsepower boost.

Mercedes-Benz has equipped much of its 2022 lineup with a technology originally developed in Formula 1 racing cars, called an integrated starter generator. It can deliver a brief burst of electric power for a few seconds more overtaking speed. The cars don’t give you a flashing button to activate it.

But it has an indicator in the display cluster that fills up as it charges and flashes to let you know it’s ready. You know… like a boost function when you press the A Button.

also read: What California’s Gas Car Ban Could Mean For You — Even If You Don’t Live There

That’s all a good thing

Lest this all sound like old hate, let’s be clear – gamification of cars makes sense.

For one thing, a new generation of drivers is having their first driving experience long before they get behind the wheel. Many have lapped Laguna Seca and crashed at the Nürburgring in front of screens before reaching driving age.

They learn the romance of cars from gaming and they are the ones who will carry the flame of the gearbox to the next generation.

After all, the love of cars is a modern expression of the age-old human need for art. The French philosopher Roland Barthes once wrote: “Cars today are almost the exact equivalent of the great Gothic cathedrals; I mean the supreme creation of an era, passionately conceived by unknown artists and consumed as an image, if not a utensil, by a whole population that appropriates it as a purely magical object.”

For today’s youth, this art is not found in stained glass and stone. It’s pixels. Let the new Mustang share the magic with Warhammer III. Which brings us to another generation of inspiring cars.

On the other hand, driving should be barrier-free. Features that make it easier to get the most out of your car are always welcome.

We’re hoping Ford includes an electronic judgment brake so nobody gets too confident on public roads.

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The new Mustang hits dealerships in summer 2023, with electronic drift brakes, Unreal Engine graphics and all.

This story originally continued Autotrader.com.