8:19 am, February 3, 2021
Ford has signed a major new partnership with Google which will see all of future cars powered by Android software.
As part of the announcement, the two giants also said they will create a new collaborative group called Team Upshift.
The venture will work on a wide variety of industry-related objectives, such as ‘developing new retail experiences when buying a vehicle, creating new ownership offers based on data, and more’, a statement said.
The blue oval will also use Google as its preferred cloud provider, which will give access to its artificial intelligence and data analytics technologies.
It’s believed this move will power the modernisation of everything from Ford’s product development to supply chain management, as well as providing the ability to send real-time alerts to drivers for events such as routine maintenance.
Jim Farley, Ford CEO, 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 modernise our business.’
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, added: ‘From the first moving assembly line to the latest driver-assist technology, Ford has set the pace of innovation for the automotive industry for nearly 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.’
From 2023, customers will begin to see new ‘digital experiences’ built from Android in Ford cars, as well as vehicles from its sister company Lincoln.
Experiences will include Google Assistant offering voice-controlled actions, Google Maps being the primary navigation service, and Google Play providing entertainment services.
