Ford Creates a Spin-off of Its Most Popular Show
Ford Motor Company has decided it wants to do more than just sell cars and trucks.
On March 11, the automaker announced the creation of a new business subsidiary in the hopes of becoming a leader in the field of mobility services.
Ford Smart Mobility LLC will be headed by former Steelcase CEO Jim Hackett, who will leave Ford’s board of directors in order to take on the new position.
Ford joins a growing list of automotive rivals looking to diversify their operations by investing in the emerging field, the most prominent aspect of which is ride-sharing and ride-hailing services.
“Our plan is to quickly become part of the growing transportation services market, which already accounts for $5.4 trillion in annual revenue. Jim Hackett is the right visionary leader – with extensive experience in business development and design – to take us into the mobility services business in the future.”
The team at Ford Smart Mobility LLC will work with Ford’s existing product development and engineering team to create mobility products that can be marketed commercially. It will also invest in, and collaborate with, other startup tech companies.
Ford claims the subsidiary’s team will be composed of business and technology leaders from both inside and outside the company.
The automaker already has several mobility pilot projects on the go, including the parking system GoPark and car-sharing program GoPark in London, England, as well as the Dynamic Shuttle program near its Dearborn, Michigan headquarters. It will also be introducing the FordPass digital platform this year, serving members in the New York City area first.
Mobility services are quickly becoming entwined with autonomous driving technology, a marriage automakers hope will one day bring self-driving vehicles — ideally, one that they produce — to the door of a ride-hailing user.
On that front, Ford has been testing self-driving technology on a special road course in Michigan, using a modified Ford Fusion Hybrid.
More by Steph Willems
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When I saw the word "mobility" I honestly thought this was going to be an article about Ford factory-building wheelchair-accessible vehicles, instead of letting aftermarket vendors do conversions. The world just keeps changing, such is life.
Where is the insight, the analysis, the skepticism? In what universe is Ford's "mobility technology" it's "most popular show"? In what universe is Ford considered a leader is self-driving cars, in car information systems or advanced parking systems? In what world is this anything more than Ford pulling a me too act? What the **** happened to TTAC?