Ford CEO touts in-car technology at CES
LAS VEGAS – Ford (F) CEO Mark Fields will kick off the Consumer Electronics Show Tuesday with a keynote speech that beyond touting the company's latest in-car technology will hint at how Ford will position itself to thrive in a eco-conscious car-sharing world.
"As a mobility company, we are aiming for innovation with a higher purpose," Fields told Paste BN as workers set up the automaker's sprawling CES display area.
"The trends we're looking at are major urbanization, air quality issues and a growing global middle class," he said. "That brings up questions about what this all means for our business today and for the future."
Fields said that having an automaker CEO deliver the keynote to this mammoth gathering of technology creators, vendors and media "just shows how intertwined technology is with the automotive experience now."
This year, a record 10 car companies – From Audi to Volkswagen – will showcase their auto-tech at CES, covering 165,000 suare feet of meeting space in the Las Vegas Convention Center, an increase of 17% over last year.
Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, which stages the conference, says this "continued growth parallels the rapid evolution of in-vehicle technologies … from connectivity to autonomous driving technologies, consumers today view in-vehicle technology as an important factor in their buying decisions.
CEA industry forecasts predict a 3% increase in 2015 – to $11.3 billion - in the sales of factory-installed tech systems. Conference sessions throughout the week will touch on topics such as in-car safety, security of in-car digital systems and the evolution away from the individually owned car.
Although coy about the specifics of his keynote, Fields said he plans to highlight not only the safety-focused semi-autonomous driver aides present in current Ford models, such as sensor-based parking and lane monitoring, but also the status of the company's autonomous-car projects.
"Many of our cars today offer a range of safety features that once only existed in the premium segment," said Fields. "In keeping with the history of Ford, we need to make sure our technology is democratized."
Fields also will spend time spotlighting the latest iteration of Ford's infotainment system, called Sync 3. It features a smartphone- and tablet-like interface, echoing a general trend in the automotive industry toward in-car systems that mimic the finger gestures consumers have become accustomed to with their mobile gadgets.
Sync 3 finds Ford breaking with its original Sync partner Microsoft (MSFT) after issues such as voice recognition and going with QNX Software Systems, a Canadian company owned by BlackBerry.
Fields said Ford still plans to work with Microsoft on other projects, but added that QNX – which makes in-car systems for a broad range of automakers – "offered us a really robust and proven platform to work with."
The mention of Microsoft drew a smile from Fields, who recalled his first appearance at CES in 2007 to unveil the original Sync system.
On that occasion, he hopped on the stage to join the keynote speaker, Microsoft founder Bill Gates. Afterwards, "all the tech media interviews I did started with, 'You're who with what car company, and why are you here?'"
Said Fields: "Obviously, we're in the business of selling cars today. But when I ask my team to think about how we can help create a better world through what we make, it's something that really gets them fired up."
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