Ford, which turns 114 on June 16th, is out with the old and in with the new. The company is switching CEOs, and Jim Hackett, the new guy in charge, just happens to be the executive who was in charge of autonomous vehicles at Ford. From The New York Times:
Ford Motor replaced its chief executive, Mark Fields, on Monday and vowed to catch up in the race to build self-driving cars and define a new era in personal mobility. The company said Jim Hackett, who had overseen the Ford subsidiary that works on autonomous vehicles, would immediately take the reins from Mr. Fields.
Mr. Hackett said the board had given him a free hand to transform the nation’s No. 2 automaker, including seeking alliances with Silicon Valley firms, changing its product lineup, and divesting itself of unprofitable global operations.
Driverless cars are the future. It remains to be seen if Apple’s own autonomous vehicle efforts—Project Titan—result in an Apple Car, but the entire auto industry is becoming ever-more focused on driverless cars.
Check It Out: 114 Year Old Car Company Puts Self Driving Car Exec In Charge
As long as I am capable of driving, I will be sitting behind the wheel of my internal cumbustion engine automobile, pressing the pedals and turning the steering wheel on my own. In fact, I might get obnoxious and buy a car that can’t be stolen because people cannot drive manual transmissions any more (my first car was a three-on-the-tree). Give me the roar of the engine, torque, and horsepower and I will be a happy guy!
Not get off my lawn!! 🙂