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Ford Motor Engineering

To accelerate Ford's digital transformation by building intelligent vehicle systems that create unmatched customer experiences

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To accelerate Ford's digital transformation by building intelligent vehicle systems that create unmatched customer experiences

Strengths

  • EXPERTISE: 120+ years of automotive engineering excellence
  • PLATFORM: Robust unified vehicle software architecture (VNA)
  • TALENT: Strong talent acquisition in software engineering
  • PARTNERSHIP: Strategic tech alliances with Google and AWS
  • INVESTMENT: $22B committed to EV technology through 2025

Weaknesses

  • TECHNICAL: Legacy systems integration slowing digital adoption
  • CULTURE: Traditional manufacturing mindset vs agile software
  • TALENT: Gap in specialized AI and ML engineering expertise
  • SPEED: Slower development cycles vs tech-first competitors
  • FRAGMENTATION: Siloed data architectures limiting insights

Opportunities

  • SOFTWARE: $50B+ automotive software market by 2030
  • SUBSCRIPTION: Recurring revenue from OTA features & services
  • DATA: Leverage 1M+ connected vehicles for personalization
  • AUTONOMY: Consumer demand for L2+ driver assistance features
  • PLATFORM: Standardize on unified vehicle connectivity platform

Threats

  • COMPETITION: Tech giants entering automotive software space
  • TALENT: Aggressive recruiting of software talent by competitors
  • COMPLEXITY: Rapidly evolving cybersecurity requirements
  • REGULATION: Fragmented global regulatory landscape for ADAS
  • SUPPLY: Ongoing semiconductor & specialized component shortages

Key Priorities

  • MODERNIZE: Accelerate vehicle software platform unification
  • TALENT: Build specialized engineering competencies in AI/ML
  • EXPERIENCE: Deliver distinctive software-enabled experiences
  • PARTNERSHIPS: Expand strategic tech ecosystem relationships
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To accelerate Ford's digital transformation by building intelligent vehicle systems that create unmatched customer experiences

MODERNIZE PLATFORMS

Create world-class unified vehicle software foundation

  • MIGRATION: Complete VNA integration for 75% of vehicle lineup by Q4 2025
  • ARCHITECTURE: Launch microservices framework reducing dependencies by 40%
  • DELIVERY: Implement CI/CD pipeline decreasing release cycles from 45 to 12 days
  • STABILITY: Reduce software-related quality issues by 35% vs. 2024 baseline
BUILD TALENT EDGE

Attract and retain world's best mobility tech talent

  • RECRUITMENT: Hire 250 specialized software/AI engineers in next 6 months
  • RETENTION: Reduce software engineering attrition to under 12% by Q4 2025
  • DEVELOPMENT: Launch Ford Software Academy with 1,500+ engineers trained
  • TRANSFORMATION: 75% of engineering using AI-assisted development tools
DELIGHT CUSTOMERS

Create category-defining software experiences

  • ENGAGEMENT: Increase monthly active users of FordPass app by 40% YOY
  • ADOPTION: Achieve 30% paid subscription rate for premium software features
  • EXPERIENCE: Improve digital experience NPS from 42 to 65 by year-end
  • PERSONALIZATION: Deploy AI-powered in-vehicle personalization to 500K units
EXPAND ECOSYSTEM

Build strategic technology partnerships and integrations

  • PLATFORM: Onboard 75+ third-party developers to Ford Developer Program
  • INTEGRATION: Launch 15 premium API partnerships generating $20M+ in revenue
  • ALLIANCE: Expand Google partnership with 3 new co-developed AI features
  • ACCELERATION: Establish 2 new university research labs for advanced mobility
METRICS
  • SOFTWARE REVENUE: $2.8B in 2025, $4.2B in 2026
  • DIGITAL EXPERIENCE NPS: 65 by Q4 2025
  • CONNECTED VEHICLES: 5M+ active by end of 2025
VALUES
  • Put people first
  • Do the right thing
  • Be curious
  • Create tomorrow
  • Built Ford Tough
  • Play to win
  • One Ford
Ford Motor logo
Align the learnings

Ford Motor Engineering Retrospective

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To accelerate Ford's digital transformation by building intelligent vehicle systems that create unmatched customer experiences

What Went Well

  • SALES: Pro Power Onboard feature adoption exceeded expectations at 76%
  • TECHNOLOGY: BlueCruise hands-free driving reached 200,000+ activations
  • REVENUE: Software and services revenue grew 35% YOY to $1.8B in Q1 2024
  • EFFICIENCY: 12% reduction in software development cycle time vs prior year

Not So Well

  • DELAYS: Connected vehicle platform rollout missed Q1 target by 45 days
  • QUALITY: Software-related warranty claims increased 18% over prior quarter
  • ADOPTION: OTA feature conversion rates 22% below projections for Q1 2024
  • TALENT: Software engineering attrition rate reached 17%, above target 12%

Learnings

  • INTEGRATION: Cross-functional teams accelerate feature delivery by 30-40%
  • ARCHITECTURE: Microservices approach improved deployment flexibility 3X
  • METHODOLOGY: DevOps adoption reduced integration issues by 28% YOY
  • FEEDBACK: Early user testing reduced post-launch issues by approximately 40%

Action Items

  • PLATFORM: Accelerate VNA platform adoption across product portfolio by Q3
  • TALENT: Launch specialized software engineering career path by end of Q2
  • PROCESS: Implement CI/CD pipeline improvements targeting 40% cycle reduction
  • QUALITY: Deploy enhanced software validation suite reducing defects by 25%
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To accelerate Ford's digital transformation by building intelligent vehicle systems that create unmatched customer experiences

Strengths

  • FOUNDATION: BlueCruise autonomous driving technology platform
  • COMPUTE: Partnership with NVIDIA for in-vehicle AI processing
  • VISION: Clear roadmap for AI-driven mobility solutions
  • DATA: Massive real-world vehicle data collection capabilities
  • INVESTMENT: Ford Next unit focused on emerging tech investments

Weaknesses

  • INTEGRATION: Fragmented AI implementations across functions
  • CAPABILITY: Limited specialized AI engineering talent bench
  • SCALE: Smaller AI R&D budget than tech-first competitors
  • ADOPTION: Slow integration of AI into engineering workflows
  • LEGACY: Technical debt hampering advanced AI implementation

Opportunities

  • INTELLIGENCE: AI-optimized battery management for EVs
  • PERSONALIZATION: AI-driven in-vehicle experiences and UX
  • OPERATIONS: AI to optimize manufacturing & supply chain
  • DEVELOPMENT: Accelerated engineering using generative AI
  • SAFETY: AI-enhanced ADAS features as premium offerings

Threats

  • COMPETITORS: Pure EV makers with AI-first architectures
  • EXPERTISE: Fierce competition for limited AI engineering talent
  • COMPLEXITY: Rapidly evolving AI regulatory landscape
  • PERCEPTION: Consumer trust issues with automotive AI systems
  • INVESTMENT: Balancing AI R&D with traditional engineering needs

Key Priorities

  • PLATFORM: Unify AI capabilities in a central vehicle platform
  • TALENT: Establish specialized AI engineering center of excellence
  • EXPERIENCE: Accelerate AI features in BlueCruise and SYNC
  • EFFICIENCY: Implement AI in engineering and manufacturing