Ford steers bloggers through a unique Canadian International Auto Show experience
On Friday, February 13, close to 20 bloggers had a chance to step out from behind their keyboards and
take part in a unique auto show experience.
Held at the Canadian International Auto Show, bloggers shared a tasty hot breakfast before the
interactive activities began.
With full bellies and curiosity high, the bloggers had a chance to channel their inner child by admiring
Ford’s most compact vehicle yet: the new Ford F-150 Power Wheels®! Kids zipped along the rugged
indoor track, showing the crowd what the mini-F-150s are made of. Our guests were tempted to try out
these trucks themselves!
From there, the group headed over to Ford’s Auto Connect display for an eye-opening experience with
Ford’s wearable technology and Impairment Suit. Katie Allanson, human factors engineer, Ford Motor
Company, educated the crowd on the three suits. Allanson explained that the wearable technology
suits, the Empathy Belly and Third Age Suit, are used as educational tools when explaining how vehicles
are designed to accommodate 95 to 97 per cent of the population. The Empathy Belly allows the wearer
to experience the limitations of a pregnant body, while the Third Age Suit mimics what it feels like to be
20 to 40 years older. The Impairment Suit simulates the effects of alcohol and highlights the dangers of
drinking and driving.
“Imagine what it’s like to be 30 years older or pregnant,” says Allanson. “Ford uses the wearable
technologies to bring these experiences to life and help bring awareness to how these issues are
important when designing vehicles. We are the voice of the customer in the design process.”
The group also had a chance to hear from Adam Lovell, curator of collections, Detroit Historical Society,
about the Mustang II, which was created to test customer reactions to certain design and engineering
innovations. From there, bloggers made their way over to the Ford stand to admire Ford’s lineup,
including the sleek and sexy Ford GT, to be built in partnership with Multimatic in Markham, Ontario.