Future Ford Vehicles Could Put On Light Shows For Owners

Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a system that could actuate vehicle lighting for external light shows that may be used in future Ford vehicles, Ford Authority has learned.

The patent was filed on April 2^nd, 2024, published on August 26^th, 2025, and assigned serial number 12397706.

The Ford Authority Take

Last July, Ford published a patent for collective zone lighting technology that would enable multiple vehicle owners to provide collective zone lighting features, which could come in handy anytime one needs to shed considerable light on a particular area, such as during a nighttime gathering. Now, it’s exploring another way to potentially use a vehicle’s lights – to put on a literal show, in fact – via this newly published patent for a system that could actuate vehicle lighting for external light shows that may be used in future Ford vehicles.

As Ford points out in this patent filing, lots of people decorate their homes with various lighting for holidays, or just special events and gatherings. Oftentimes, people even do the same with their vehicles, attaching lighting elements to make them more festive, too. This idea aims to help in that process by enabling owners to use their vehicles’ exterior lighting to put on a show, whether that be using a theme that they come up with, or even one that the system detects based on the lighting surrounding it – a rather interesting idea, indeed.

“Submitting patent applications is a normal part of any strong business as the process protects new ideas and helps us build a robust portfolio of intellectual property,” Ford said in a statement. “The ideas described within a patent application 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.”