Blue Oval Gearing Up for Mobility Revolution
Blue Oval Unveils ‘City of Tomorrow’ at 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit
Ford, the company that brought us the $5 work day and the assembly line, is yet again innovating in a major way.
We’ve already heard about some of the big news coming out of Detroit, namely that the F-150 is getting even better, and the Bronco and Ranger are finally coming back. But Ford Motor Co. Executive Chairman Bill Ford‘s speech at the Joe Louis Arena on Monday makes it seem like we’re missing the bigger picture here.
“I believed strongly that the auto industry was on the cusp of a revolution — the most significant one since the advent of the assembly line,” says Ford, as you can see in the Wood TV video above. He then goes on to explain why connected, autonomous and electric cars are the wave of the future.
Because of this outlook, Ford is focusing on becoming not just an automotive company, but also a mobility company. In doing so, they’re putting a lot of resources into planning the “City of Tomorrow.”
You can see the details of such a concept in the Ford video below. But the basic idea is that Ford is working towards a connected city. That includes the creation of a City Solutions Team, working globally to create transportation operating systems “shaped by total multi-modal mobility.”
To that end, Ford is putting big bets on electrified vehicles. They will eventually incorporate wireless charging and fully-autonomous vehicles with no steering wheels, gas or brake pedals. They’re already expanding their electric offerings with 13 new vehicles, including a hybrid F-150 and Mustang. They’re expanding the Chariot ride-sharing service to eight cities worldwide. And they’re upping their autonomous development, as can be seen in the refreshed F-150 and new Fusion Hybrid.
So yeah, the future looks awfully mobile and connected indeed.
