Abstract

Ford+ is the new business vision we have created that takes Ford from a one-time make/sell model to delivering customers always-on products, solutions and experiences with profitable, recurring revenue streams. It marks the beginning of a different kind of relationship with our customers. Our main goals are: +Distinctive products and solutions +Always-on relationship with customers +Ever-improving user experience Simulation technology is one of our key tools to deliver this vision. It has come a long way and has helped us drive major efficiencies into our development process with a dramatic decrease in the number of physical prototypes required to prove out hard- and software. We can now simulate how a vehicle functions rather than simply evaluating static assets and operate virtual online customer clinics to test new experiences and features. For our future we dream of no longer having to use prototypes at all, while ensuring our rigorous durability and testing standards are met as the satisfaction and safety of our customers are always our main concern. Vehicle simulations are great examples of how important data is to deliver exciting, high-quality, yet affordable products. We have led the development of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) technologies with our Ford Co-Pilot360 suite of driver-assist technologies based on decades of simulation work. This has led us to deliver this year our BlueCruise hands-free, eyes-on-road technology, and not just for a few luxury customers but for the biggest-selling vehicle on the planet, the F-150. For this technology the simulation work still relies on tens of thousands of miles of real-world test driving to accumulate sensor data which then feeds our simulations. The discovery of new ways to move more of this work to the pure simulation space will cut down on time-to-market allowing us to accelerate our delivery of great customer experiences. Alongside the Virtual Vehicle we will also improve the customer’s experience regarding our Connected Services through simulation to keep our always-on promise. By leveraging Blue Oval Intelligence, we will continuously deliver new services and use data to reduce internal costs including warranty while establishing deeper, life-long customer relationships. While changing our products and services we also must change our working approach. The Digital Fabric will help us to connect people, processes and products end-to-end in an ecosystem that holds a single source of data and connects all related data over the products lifecycle. Ford’s digital transformation into a software-led company is fueling all this great work, and only will accelerate from here. There has never been a more exciting time to work at Ford as we deliver great products such as the F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E and Bronco – all iconic brands while also pointing to the future we are leading. As a key part of our Ford+ plan we are looking for other innovators to partner for expertise and efficiency, to take on this challenge with us together. To learn more about our vision listen to this year’s conference talk from Chuck Gray, Vice President of Vehicle Embedded Software & Connectivity at Ford.