New York, USA (CU)_ The US-based motor company Ford and Google are collaborating to accelerate the digital transformation of the automobile giant and reinvent the connected car. A new joint group known as Team Upshift has been formed by the two companies to leverage both companies’ talents and assets and unlock personalized customer interactions and data-based opportunities. New retail options and ownership deals based on related vehicle data are also included in the new venture.
President and CEO of Ford, Jim Farley said, “As Ford continues the most profound transformation in our history with electrification, connectivity and self-driving, Google and Ford coming together establishes an innovation powerhouse truly able to deliver a superior experience for our customers and modernize our business”.
In addition, Ford will make use of Google Cloud as its selected cloud provider to utilize the information, artificial intelligence, and machine learning expertise of the tech giant. This will enable Ford to further enhance customer experiences for clients with differentiated technologies and individualized services. It will also accelerate modernization of product development, production and supply chain management, including exploration of the use of vision Artificial Intelligence for employee training in manufacturing and even more authentic performance of plant equipment. This will also expedite the implementation of data-driven business models, resulting in real-time updates for customers such as maintenance requests or trade-in warnings.
Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said, “From the first moving assembly line to the latest driver-assist technology, Ford has set the pace of innovation for the automotive industry for more than 120 years. We’re proud to partner to apply the best of Google’s AI, data analytics, compute and cloud platforms to help transform Ford’s business and build automotive technologies that keep people safe and connected on the road.” Starting from 2023, Android will control millions of Ford and Lincoln cars, with built-in Google apps such as Google Assistant, Google Maps and Google Play.
