Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Gregory S Hawkins

Kelley Maria Adams-Campos

Mark Beilman

Mario Alejandro Adams-Campos

Elias Ruiz

Alejandro Becerra

A motor vehicle roof rack assembly according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, side rails of a roof rack. The side rails each extend longitudinally from a first end portion to a second end portion. The assembly also includes crossbars of the roof rack. The roof rack is configured to transition between a first configuration and a second configuration, In the first configuration, the first end portions of the side rails are each coupled to a corner. In the second configuration, the first end portions of the side rails are each coupled to a rail extender.

Modular roof rack assembly and reconfiguration method

This disclosure is directed to systems and methods for automatically controlling various lights of a vehicle. The systems and methods are configured to determine whether a vehicle is being driven off-road or on a public road, determine a first light activation condition that is based on whether the vehicle is being driven off-road or on the public road, and execute a vehicle lights control procedure to grant to a driver of the vehicle on-off control of a first light in the vehicle based on the first light activation condition and to withdraw grant of the on-off control of the first light based on a second light activation condition.

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Ypsilanti, MI, United States of America

Gregory S Hawkins