The Blue Oval is currently in the early stages of its major EV pivot, an unprecedented endeavor for the 100 year old company that already resulted in the automaker splitting its operations into several different units focused on internal combustion and fully electric vehicle development, among other things. As Ford Authority previously outlined, the reorganization will involve a $50 billion fiscal commitment by 2026 towards the pivot, which is projected to allow the automaker to produce two million EVs by that targeted date. But a new report by Bloomberg indicates that The Blue Oval – more specifically CEO Jim Farley – has been thinking about major organizational changes for some time now, and essentially launched AV unit Ford Next late last year in the run up to the more significant changes that recently took place.
Per the report, Ford Next materialized in late 2021 at the behest of Farley as an internal unit dedicated to autonomous vehicle development, mobility services, and startup incubator. While the unit is now responsible for managing the automaker’s stake in Argo AI, it will also work on forming joint ventures with other companies when needed. In fact, it already delivered on that front, as Ford Next took the lead on the ADT joint venture that is focused on putting security tech into future vehicles. Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC, the company’s mobility division that launched not too long ago, is also a part of Ford Next.
Ford Next is currently helmed by Franck Louis-Victor, who Ford poached from rival Renault SA in 2021. Farley has explicitly stated that the company needs outside talent to help power its ongoing transformation, a process that recently accelerated this week with some additional personnel additions and changes. Ford’s latest recruitment drive has also snagged specialists who formerly worked for companies like Tesla and Apple.
We’ll have more on Ford Next soon, so subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford news coverage.
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