Listening to what the customer really wants

THE Ford Smart Mobility plan has been launched at the Consumer Electronics Show in a bid to listen to what customers want and help solve the world’s transportation problems.

The idea is to “foster innovation to take it to the next level in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, the customer experience and big data,” said Ford.

The company also announced 25 mobility experiments around the world this year to test transportation ideas to create better customer experiences, more flexible usership models and social collaboration that can reward customers.

“Even as we showcase connected cars and share our plans for autonomous vehicles, we are here at CES with a higher purpose,” said Ford President and CEO Mark Fields, delivering a keynote address at the global consumer electronics and consumer technology tradeshow in Las Vegas.

“We are driving innovation in every part of our business to be both a product and mobility company – and, ultimately, to change the way the world moves just as our founder Henry Ford did 111 years ago.”

The first steps for Ford Smart Mobility are 25 experiments – nine in Europe and Africa, eight in North America, seven in Asia and one in South America.

Each experiment is designed to anticipate what customers will want and need in tomorrow’s transportation ecosystem.

Communicate

“We see a world where vehicles talk to one another, drivers and vehicles communicate with the city infrastructure to relieve congestion and people routinely share vehicles or multiple forms of transportation for their daily commute,” Fields said.

“The experiments we’re undertaking today will lead to an all-new model of transportation and mobility within the next 10 years and beyond.”

The 25 experiments address four global trends – explosive population growth, an expanding middle class, air quality and public health concerns, and changing customer attitudes and priorities – challenging today’s transportation model and limiting personal mobility, especially in urban areas.