Ford and Google announce a partnership to accelerate the former’s transformation. — Photo Courtesy For Vietnam

Automaker Ford and Google recently announced a partnership to accelerate the former’s transformation and “reinvent the connected vehicle experience”.

As part of this new six-year partnership beginning in 2023, millions of Ford and Lincoln vehicles at all price points will be powered by Android, with Google apps and services built in.

They are also establishing a new collaborative group to leverage the talent and assets of both companies and “push the boundaries of Ford’s transformation, unlock personalised consumer experiences, and drive disruptive, data-driven opportunities”.

This may include projects ranging from developing new retail experiences when buying a vehicle and creating new ownership offers based on data.

Jim Farley, president and CEO of Ford, said, “As we continue the most profound transformation in our history with electrification, connectivity and self-driving, Google and Ford coming together establishes an innovation powerhouse.”

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, said: “From the first moving assembly line to the latest driver-assist technology, Ford has set the pace of innovation for the automotive industry for nearly 120 years.

“We’re proud to partner to apply the best of Google’s AI, data analytics, compute and cloud platforms to help transform Ford's business and build automotive technologies that keep people safe and connected on the road.”

Google will help Ford leverage Google Cloud’s AI, ML and data analytics technologies to accelerate digital transformation, modernise operations and power connected vehicle technologies with its cloud.

Android in the car also enables Ford and third-party developers to build apps that provide a constantly improving and personalised ownership experience. — VNS