Future Ford and Lincoln vehicles will be powered by Google’s Android OS in the future
Starting from 2023, millions of future Ford and Lincoln vehicles will have Android OS. (Credit: Ford Motor Company)
Ford Motor has entered into a six-year partnership with Google for developing connected car services and built-in apps.
Under the partnership, which will begin in 2023, millions of future Ford and Lincoln vehicles, irrespective of their prices, will be powered by Android operating system (OS) with Google apps and built-in services.
The vehicles will be equipped with map and voice technology, Google Assistant, Google Play, and other features.
Ford said that for taking forward ongoing innovation, it is setting up a new collaborative group alongside Google, which will be called Team Upshift.
The group, which will make use of the talent and assets of both the firms, is expected to extend Ford’s transformation, unlock customised consumer experiences, and generate disruptive, data-driven opportunities.
The opportunities could be projects ranging from developing new retail experiences when purchasing a vehicle to providing new ownership offers based on data.
Ford president and CEO Jim Farley said: “As Ford continues the most profound transformation in our history with electrification, connectivity and self-driving, Google and Ford coming together establishes an innovation powerhouse truly able to deliver a superior experience for our customers and modernize our business.”
The US-based automaker has also selected Google Cloud as its preferred cloud provider for utilising Google’s expertise in data, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML).
Google will help Ford in speeding up its digital transformation, modernise operations, and power connected vehicle technologies with its cloud services.
The automaker will use Google Cloud for further enhancing customer experiences with differentiated technology and customised services and speed up the modernisation of product development, manufacturing, and supply chain management.
Besides, the company will use cloud services for speeding up the implementation of data-driven business models to enable customers to get real-time notices like maintenance requests and trade-in alerts.
Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai 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.”