Ford invests $ 4 billion in autonomous vehicles



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Ford Motor Co. reported that its investments in autonomous vehicles (AV) will total $ 4 billion until 2023, and that it has formed a subsidiary dedicated to these efforts called Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC .

The subsidiary will be headquartered primarily on the campus Ford is building in the Detroit area of ​​Corktown, and will be headed by Sherif Marakby, a vice president of Ford who has spent a year running a training program. Autonomous vehicles at Uber before returning to Ford in 2017. The company will have its own board chaired by Marcy Klevorn, President of Mobility at Ford

The new LLC will be the entity in charge of fulfilling the promise of the company. company to launch an autonomous utility vehicle on a scale in 2021. This includes the integration of self-driving systems, research of this type of vehicle, advanced engineering, the AV transportation development as a network service, experience "Ford has made tremendous progress in the chain of self-driving, from the technological development to the economic model innovation for the user experience, "has he declares. Ford CEO Jim Hackett in a statement. "The time has come to consolidate our self-management platform within a team to better position the company for future opportunities."

The $ 4 million investment in the AV includes $ 1,000 to be placed in Argo AI, a Pittsburgh start-up that has been associated with the development of this type of cars. Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC will retain the ownership position in Argo AI that Ford has received in exchange.

The subsidiary will take another third of the investment and will be separated from Ford's Smart Mobility LLC, which handles new business opportunities, such as its line. Trolley shuttles.

Marakby, currently vice president of Ford for autonomous vehicles and electrification, was awarded the title of CEO of the unit created for these vehicles.

Other Organizational Changes

The automaker has made other organizational changes with effect as of August 1st. Ted Cannis, global director of the company for electrification, will lead Ford's electric vehicle arm, known as Team Edison. In addition, Ford announced that it was reorganizing its global operations division, led by Joe Hinrichs, to include technology information, as well as the company's global delivery ordering system.

Ford's director of information, Jeff Lemmer, will report to Hinrichs. And Hau Thai-Tang, executive vice president for product development and purchasing, will do it directly with Hackett instead of Hinrichs

"The Evolution of the Power of Computing and "The computer has helped create great products for users – cars to tablets," said Hackett. "We can now anchor this technology to unleash a new world of vehicle customization, provide choreography chain and reduce the size of the inventory that rivals any industrial model in the world. Joe (Hinrichs) will be helping us redesign this system to do just that, while serving users and dealers better and improving our overall fitness. "

The announcement follows on from recent purchase of Ford Michigan Central Station, Detroit, a centennial tour office that the company plans to turn into hub an urban campus dedicated to working on autonomous and electric vehicles. A few months ago, Ford opened an office near the warehouse to locate about 200 employees belonging to Team Edison.

    

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