Ford went on the offensive on new technologies – DigitalVersus

The intermodal mobility, such is the new economic model that is looming on the horizon. In some car manufacturers, this new way to move begins to catch on. Thus, Ford, out of the question to keep pace with these new technology companies.

 Tesla, Apple, Google, Uber and Zipcar, all these new technology companies are revolutionizing the automotive world and how to move in urban and extra-urban. These big names and other smaller Silicon Valley no longer laugh carmakers side which ask if they still sell cars in twenty years. Ford also American, despite the presence of a central R & amp; D in Silicon Valley, is not it serene face these new technologies despite its 112 years of existence. Yet for more than a year, the American brand multiplies experiences for a new mobility even leave the car on the roadside.
Still, this is not going fast enough to taste Officer. Thus we learn via the Wall Street Journal that the automaker has revamped its internal organizational structure to develop and strengthen its team of Strategy Department. First relocation, Michael Seneski, Ford Credit CFO since 2011, joins John Casesa, a former investment banker hired by Ford earlier this year to develop new “business models”. In fact, the objective of the team of analysts and business strategists, led by John Casesa, is to build partnerships and to invest in high technology companies.

Michael Seneski n ‘ is a newcomer, it is even a “veteran” at Ford since helped obtain a loan of $ 5.9 billion to the Department of Energy to save Ford over the period 2008- 2009 during the collapse of the auto industry in the United States.

 

 Ford is well aware that the car industry will undergo major changes in the future. Its chairman, Bill Ford Jr., said last week at the latest “Web Summit” in Dublin that the company would have “ migrate to new business models and the role of the car would be greatly diminished, but that it would, however, other sources of income . “

 

 Last summer, during the great annual rout organized by Ford in San Francisco, the charismatic Mark Fields, Executive Chairman of the brand, was betting heavily on launching test programs on the new approach to the car. Thus, the new owners of a Ford car can rent out their vehicles with individuals. This especially enables come partially repay the loan obtained from Ford when buying the car. Another experiment (Go! Drive) in England where people can borrow an electric vehicle Ford (Focus) or Fiesta 1.0 L Ecoboost and leave the car in one of the 20 dedicated parking once the finished race. In total, there are more than thirty programs being tested in the world.

 

 But as indicated by the Wall Street Journal, Ford is not the only manufacturer to seek new solutions for mobility – and profits – rival General Motors is in the same situation as him and experimented car sharing, provision of electric bikes … In short, the same revenue as the creator of the Model T and Mustang.

 

 And remember that other manufacturers have gone on the offensive as the German triumvirate BMW, Audi and Daimler who come to get their hands on Nokia Here, the mapping service for GPS.