Skip advert
Advertisement
Opinion

'Ford's smart move is focusing on cars and mobility solutions'

Out of the big three car makers vying for attention, Ford was the clear winner at the 2017 Detroit show, says Steve Fowler

January in Detroit means the usual battle of the big three US car makers to dominate their home show. This year, Ford was the clear winner. 

It may not have had the biggest new model launch (although a revised version of America’s top-selling pick-up truck, the F-150, was a fairly major deal), but by running a City of Tomorrow symposium while everyone else was whipping covers off their new models, Ford laid down a pretty big marker as to where its future lies.

Advertisement - Article continues below

CEO Mark Fields reiterated that Ford is now an “auto and mobility company” producing “vehicles, mobility services and transport solutions”.

Detroit Motor Show 2017: news round-up

But it was chatting with former Auto Express Brit List winner and now Ford’s global marketing, sales and service boss, Stephen Odell, that the value of these new mobility businesses becomes clear. “The margins in some of our emerging businesses are much bigger,” he said. “Sometimes up to 20 per cent.”

Odell was quick to point out that vehicles would always be Ford’s core businesses, but by branching out into dynamic shuttles like the Chariot business it bought last year and Ford Go bikes, the company is playing a big part in what Mark Fields described as “helping make people’s lives betterby changing the way the world moves’’.

Fields also revealed how Ford is committed to partnering with cities to deliver mobility solutions, working with organisations like Bloomberg Philanthropies, including former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg.

Bloomberg appeared via satellite link during Ford’s press conference, proudly announcing that he’d driven to work that morning in his (Ford made) Lincoln SUV. Maybe a starting point for these new mobility solutions is for past and present politicians to use them.

What do you think of Ford's future position in the industry? Let us know below...

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Best new cars coming soon: all the big new car launches due in 2025, 2026 and beyond
Best new cars coming soon - header image

Best new cars coming soon: all the big new car launches due in 2025, 2026 and beyond

These are the biggest and most important new cars headed our way, from brands including Audi, BMW, Dacia, Ferrari, Ford, Skoda and more
Best cars & vans
1 Jan 2025
The Ford Escort Mk1 RS is back, with 296bhp and a £295k price tag
Boreham Motorworks Continumod Ford Escort Mk1 RS - front 3/4

The Ford Escort Mk1 RS is back, with 296bhp and a £295k price tag

Boreham Motorworks will create 150 ‘blueprint-accurate’ Escorts from scratch, and has Ford’s blessing
News
12 Dec 2024
The best ever popemobiles
Best ever popemobiles

The best ever popemobiles

For nearly 100 years Popes have had bespoke transport – here we chart the astonishing history of the popemobile
Best cars & vans
6 Dec 2024
Best cars with games tested: the current state of the in-car gaming art
Auto Express editor Paul Barker playing video games in a Tesla

Best cars with games tested: the current state of the in-car gaming art

In-car entertainment has come a long way in recent years...
Features
4 Dec 2024

Most Popular

Car brands with the most recalls: BMW tops the UK recall chart in 2024
BMW 530e - front cornering

Car brands with the most recalls: BMW tops the UK recall chart in 2024

Did you receive a letter alerting you to a potentially dangerous car fault? Here are the car brands that sent the most out
News
17 Jan 2025
Lexus planning a thrilling new range of ultra high-performance models
Lexus LBX Morizo RR - dynamic front 3/4

Lexus planning a thrilling new range of ultra high-performance models

The long-lived RC F will be axed this year, but Lexus is set to unleash a new wave of exciting new performance-focused cars
News
17 Jan 2025
EV discounts: are they a short-term solution with long-term problems?
Vauxhall Corsa Electric front corner driving

EV discounts: are they a short-term solution with long-term problems?

Optimistic residual value projections for EVs have left vehicle leasing firms “millions and millions” out of pocket
News
18 Jan 2025