Barcelona, Spain – Ford CEO Mark Fields plans to triple engineering investments in semi-autonomous vehicle technologies as the company continues to expand its Ford Smart Mobility plan.
CEO Mark Fields says Ford is transitioning from an automotive company to an auto and a mobility company through Ford Smart Mobility. The company’s plan to be a leader in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, customer experience, and data and analytics.
“As we look to the future, it is clear we are on the cusp of a revolution in mobility – from car sharing to autonomous driving to the customer experience,” Fields says. “Technology and innovation provide us with the opportunity to address these trends and to make people’s lives better by changing the way the world moves.”
The significant increase in investment will enable Ford to research and develop driver assist technology that transfer more driving tasks to the vehicle and provide more comfort and safety to the driver.
Traffic Jam Assist helps the driver with steering, braking, and acceleration in heavily congested traffic situations on motorways. The system helps keep the vehicle centered in the lane and brakes and accelerates to keep pace with the vehicle in front.
Fully Active Park Assist will help drivers by steering and controlling the transmission, throttle, and brake to pull into a parking spot at the touch of a button.
“The use of semi-autonomous functions such as Traffic Jam Assist and Fully Active Park Assist make driving easier and more enjoyable for our customers,” says Ken Washington, vice president, Ford Research and Advanced Engineering.
Ford also has a dedicated fully autonomous vehicle program in Aachen, Germany; Palo Alto, California; and Dearborn, Michigan.
Source: Ford Motor Co.