For some time now we’ve seen manufacturers invest in research and development of technologies related to autonomous driving. Ford is one of these companies, but today it took a concrete step to stake out its territory in the domain. The automaker announced that it is creating a new division wholly devoted to developing autonomous driving technologies. Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC will be mandated with accelerating the introduction of intelligent, self-driving cars on the market to help ensure the company optimizes its business opportunities in the field, sure to multiply in the coming years.
Ford plans to invest $4 billion to that end between now and 2023; this includes $1 billion already committed to Argo AI, a Ford partner specialized in the field of autonomous driving.
The new division will handle research, development and engineering of all self-driving-related technologies, as well as engineering, transportation services, networks, customer experience and everything related to business opportunities and their development.
The division will be headed by Sherif Marakby, currently vice president of Autonomous Vehicles and Electrification at Ford.
In all likelihood Ford Autonomous Vehicles will be called on to collaborate closely with the company’s Team Edison, responsible for developing – and eventually bringing to market - the next generation of electric vehicles.
The picture continues to become clearer: down the road, and perhaps sooner rather than later, we will have a generation of electric vehicles that drive autonomously.