Ford Sees All Its US Cars Connected by 2019, Says Global Operations Head

Ford expects to have 100 percent of its U.S. vehicles connected by 2019 and 90 percent globally by 2020, President-Global Operations Joseph Hinrichs told a Goldman Sachs investor conference Monday. “The opportunity of connecting the vehicle with modems going forward is really to bring the whole system to that connected integration as well. And so the art of the possible expands dramatically.” Ford needs to design the “electrical architecture” into the connected car “to take advantage of that at the same time you put the modem in the vehicle,” said Hinrichs. “So in that '19, '20 time period, you're going to see us be able to take advantage of that more dramatically because we're timing the architecture upgrades to be able to support that.” As one designs the system, “you have to design it in a way that you're intentional about how you can access the key architecture of the vehicle while protecting others from a safety and security standpoint,” he said. A dedicated team inside Ford is working on ways to “make the user experience so much greater with our vehicle with this capability,” he said. Ford isn’t ready to disclose “specific examples” of its connected-car strategy for the end of the decade, “but we are very thoughtful about how to make this better from a human-centered standpoint,” he said. “What can we help you do better in your daily life and make it easier and more enjoyable by having this capability? And that's how we're thinking about it.”