For some time, we’ve known that Ford has been pursuing autonomous vehicle technology with a goal of eventually reaching full self-driving status. Though the automaker has dialed back its ambitions in that area somewhat amid concerns that Level 5 autonomy won’t be profitable anytime soon, the end goal remains the same. Future Ford EV models figure to function more like mobile offices than vehicles we currently drive as a result, and a recent report only backs up that notion even further.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Ford CEO Jim Farley was walking through the automaker’s design studio near Dearborn this past summer, all with the intentions of checking up on the status of the company’s future Ford EV models. He noted that one of those models featured configurable rear seating with seats that can swivel around and create an impromptu meeting space, making it seemingly perfect for China’s family-centric automotive market.
This concept is something that Ford has previewed multiple times as of late via patent filings, including one presenting an idea for rotating seats. Ever since making interior design the leading force behind new vehicle development – rather than exterior styling – Ford has made it quite clear that it envisions a future where owners will use their vehicles for far more than just getting from point A to point B – rather, the automaker believes that autos will double as legitimate meeting spaces and mobile offices, even.
Though FoMoCo reportedly no longer plans on becoming a major player in the hyper-competitive Chinese automotive market, it is using that same market as a way to inspire its future Ford EV models. In fact, the whole idea for Ford’s skunkworks team – which is currently developing a low-cost EV platform – stemmed from Farley’s first trip to that country last year, and models based on that platform are being designed specifically to compete with existing Chinese EVs.
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