“People have, throughout their history, traveled about 1 – 1.5 hours per day, “ said CEO Mark Fields during Ford’s 2016 CES Press Conference. “The difference is the distance travelled.”
By adopting the business approach of “one foot in today and one in tomorrow,” Ford is able to focus on current sales and current needs of customers, while also keeping a close eye on projected future needs and shifts in in the automotive and global view of transportation. Fields said Ford will bring 13 electric cars to market by 2020, and there will also be a huge opportunity for the sharing of fleet vehicles in urban environments in the upcoming years as well.
Currently, the traditional automotive market is a $2.3 billion industry, while transportation services is worth $5.4 billion. Ford announced plans to expand and establish a presence in transportation services in the form of flexible use and ownership vehicles and multi-modal mobility solutions.
Fields introduced Ford Smart Mobility: a platform that incorporates connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, customer experience, data and analytics through the new SYNC 3 infotainment system. 4G LTE connectivity and SmartDeviceLink (which is accessible to the open source community) will allow users to their favorite apps right from the vehicle.
Today, there are more than 15 million SYNC-equipped vehicles on the road globally. By 2020, Ford predicts that number will skyrocket to more than 43 million.
Photo Credit: Road and Track
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