Ford's new CEO's comment about the future of autonomous cars is a breath of fresh air https://t.co/fhGgF1qFWi pic.twitter.com/QhBWS8at3A
— Jalopnik (@Jalopnik) August 19, 2017
Look at every automaker in the world right now, and they're all talking about self-driving cars—who will have them on the road the soonest, who has the largest test fleet, the most advanced sensors. Even though surveys have shown the vast majority of Americans are nervous about surrendering control of the wheel to computer intelligence, automakers are pushing fervently forward.
Ford's former CEO, Mark Fields, was one of those guys.
Fields was cool, youthful, and optimistic about the future, and was steering Ford closer to Silicon Valley than ever. Earlier this year, the company replaced him with an older, more realistic CEO: Jim Hackett.
While we loved how gung-ho Fields was about technology, we're excited to hear from a CEO with both feet on the ground, who isn't shy about saying things like, "The nature of the romanticism by everybody in the media about how this robot works is overextended right now."
Hackett is no Luddite by any means. He's worked with Silicon Valley companies, and was the chairman of Ford Smart Mobility. He still says Ford will have a highly-automated car on the market by 2021 as his predecessor promised, but tempers expectations.
"If you think about a vehicle that can drive anywhere, anytime, in any circumstance, cold, rain—that's longer than 2021. And every manufacturer will tell you that."
Categories:
News