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Dash cam dangly cables, no more!

The dash cam movement is huge in Australia, and new solutions for powering the safety tech is being driven by customer demand.

Ford Australia has rolled out an important new update to some of its models - a USB port mounted in the rear-vision mirror.

The point of this new power port is to support a dash cam, meaning the dreaded dangling cables from the top of the windscreen down to the centre console will be no more. Most dash cams require a cable to be run to either a power unit or a USB port, which - if not professionally installed - can lead to excess cables dangling from the windscreen down to the centre console. 

But a recent technology update rolled out to all 2020 versions of the Ford Ranger ute and 2020 Ford Everest range is set to change that.

Kay Hart, president and CEO of Ford Australia and New Zealand, said the move is one to add extra convenience to Everest and Ranger buyers.

“Customers also told us they want the convenience of a windshield mounted USB to power accessories, so we will now make this available across the Ranger line-up,” said Ms Hart. The Everest will see the tech rolled out on all models, too.

Ford Dealers offer accessory Garmin dash cam units. The Garmin Dash Cam 56 device retails at $249 fitted. But, of course, with this new mirror-mount USB port, you can clearly BYO dash cam - be it a Garmin, Navman or other brand, and the fitment process should be a cinch.

Dash cam uptake is on the rise in Australia. Recent research by insurance company Allianz Australia found 21 per cent of drivers in Australia own dash cams, and of those, 54 per cent purchased the camera system in the past 12 months.