{"id":17361,"date":"2016-11-18T02:18:04","date_gmt":"2016-11-18T07:18:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/have-you-driven-a-ford-lately\/"},"modified":"2016-11-18T02:19:09","modified_gmt":"2016-11-18T07:19:09","slug":"have-you-driven-a-ford-lately","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/have-you-driven-a-ford-lately\/","title":{"rendered":"Have You Driven a Ford Lately?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Ford Model T<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Have You Driven A Ford Lately?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unless your car is driving you, then chances are good that your car\u2019s technology may be impressive, but perhaps not truly revolutionary. However, recent digital trends such as autonomous vehicles, ride-hailing services, and the Internet of Things (IoT) have begun to create seismic shifts within the automotive industry. Ford Motor Company, the company that introduced the world to the Model T, must now compete against Tesla\u2019s Model S if it hopes to thrive in this new digital era. Thus, Ford\u2019s business and operational models must also change accordingly, but has this company done enough to position itself for future success? I am convinced that the answer is yes, at least for now.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/u><\/strong>Change 1 \u2013 Driving Automation<\/u><\/strong>. Artificial intelligence has given rise to the self-driving car, and though we\u2019re not truly at the point of a fully autonomous (Class 4) vehicle yet, we are close. Tesla already mass produces a semi-autonomous (Class 3) vehicle, and tech giant Google is hard at work to overcome the last technical hurdles. Ford entered the self-driving game late, but it has been quickly making up ground. In August, Ford announced that it had invested $75 million into Velodyne, an autonomous vehicle sensor maker, and acquired Saips, another firm that specializes in computer vision.[1]<\/a> It has established research partnerships with the University of Michigan, and doubled the number of employees in its Silicon Valley offices. Ford\u2019s major domestic competitor, General Motors, bought the autonomous vehicle firm Cruise Automation in March for an estimated $1 billion dollars[2]<\/a>, yet Ford will become the first major automaker to test self-driving cars in real-world environments.[3]<\/a> However, Ford needs to continue to increase its R&D spend or this lead may be short-lived. According to Strategy&, Ford was outspent last year by four major automakers, including GM, and was ranked below Apple, Google, Tesla, and Toyota in terms of innovation ratings.[4]<\/a> Product research must become the operational focus of Ford if it hopes to consolidate these gains over the next several years.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A hybrid Ford Fusion converted for autonomous vehicle testing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Change 2 \u2013 Ride-Hailing Services<\/u><\/strong>. The ubiquity of smart phones has given rise to ride hailing services like Uber, and here Ford has an opportunity to shift its business model in a way that may offer a competitive advantage. Ford expects to begin mass-producing fleets of self-driving vehicles by 2021,[5]<\/a> yet unlike GM, the company has decided to forgo partnerships with ride sharing companies and adopt a wait-and-see approach. However, I believe that Ford should create its own ride-sharing services and pioneer fractional ownership models.[6]<\/a> While this approach could be treacherous given the strong network effects enjoyed by current ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft, the elimination of the middlemen would provide higher profit margins to Ford. Lucrative margins would in turn allow the company to engage in a successful price war with established competitors, if needed, turning GM\u2019s $500 million partnership with Lyft into a potential liability.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A Ford advertisement for the Ford Pass app.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Change 3 \u2013 The Internet of Things<\/u><\/strong>. Imagine being whisked away by a Ford self-driving car that you hailed from your smartphone. You ride along, an observer, but what do you do now that you aren\u2019t driving? How can you be more productive or entertained? Ford may answer those questions with the IoT\u2014the connection of sensors, data, and hardware all around you. For example, Ford is developing IoT technologies such as FordPass, an app for internet-connected services including marketplaces that allow you to shop while riding, and GoPark, a feature that communicates with parking meters to locate and pay for parking.[7]<\/a> This approach to the customer experience is completely different from Ford\u2019s business model of the past, and it offers an encouraging sign that Ford is beginning to understand the potential of an IoT-enabled, autonomous vehicle. Ford\u2019s director of enterprise and emerging IT, Rich Strader, noted, \u201cWe sold a product, and when we sold it, that was the experience people had with Ford. They drove the vehicle and all the interactions were about consumption of that product. What we now believe is important to consumer experience is something that marries the product experience with a services experience and that end customer need.\u201d[8]<\/a> That said, if I had one complaint of Ford here, it\u2019s that I believe Ford could be more aggressive in incorporating IoT technologies into its vehicles\u2014much more aggressive\u2014and thereby enhance brand differentiation as part of the business model. Shopping from your car is nice, but a Ford that can read my smartphone calendar, remind me of my wife\u2019s birthday, and book a restaurant reservation by the time it drives me home would be even nicer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

773 words<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> The New York Times, \u201cFord Promises Fleets of Driverless Cars Within 5 Years,\u201d http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/08\/17\/business\/ford-promises-fleets-of-driverless-cars-within-five-years.html?_r=0<\/a>, accessed November 17th<\/sup>, 2016.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Forbes, \u201cGM and Ford Join Race for Autonomy while FCA Sits Back,\u201d http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/neilwinton\/2016\/03\/15\/gm-ford-join-race-for-autonomy-while-fca-sits-back\/#77a9de5c3cd5<\/a>, accessed November 17th<\/sup>, 2016.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> USA Today, \u201cFord Revs Up Self-Driving Car in Fake Michigan City,\u201d http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/tech\/2015\/11\/13\/ford-revs-up-self-driving-car-program-fake-michigan-city\/75673552\/<\/a>, accessed November 17th<\/sup>, 2016.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Auto News, \u201cVW Led Auto R&D Spending in 2015,\u201d http:\/\/www.autonews.com\/article\/20160221\/OEM06\/302229977\/vw-led-auto-r%26d-spending-in-15<\/a>, accessed November 17th<\/sup>, 2016.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Ford.com, \u201cFord Targets Fully Autonomous Vehicle for Ride Sharing in 2021,\u201d https:\/\/media.ford.com\/content\/fordmedia\/fna\/us\/en\/news\/2016\/08\/16\/ford-targets-fully-autonomous-vehicle-for-ride-sharing-in-2021.html<\/a>, accessed November 17th<\/sup>, 2016.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Reuters, \u201cFord Plans Self Driving Car for Ride-Share Fleets in 2021,\u201d http:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-ford-autonomous-idUSKCN10R1G1<\/a>, accessed November 16th<\/sup>, 2016.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Internet of Business, \u201cFord Harnesses IoT and Big Data in Technology Quest,\u201d https:\/\/internetofbusiness.com\/ford-harnesses-iot-and-big-data-in-technology-quest\/<\/a>, accessed November 16th<\/sup>, 2016.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> CMO, \u201cWhy Ford Is Counting on the Internet of Things to Drive Customer Engagement,\u201d http:\/\/www.cmo.com.au\/article\/596864\/why-ford-counting-internet-things-drive-customer-engagement\/<\/a>, accessed November 16th<\/sup>, 2016.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ford confronts the digital transformation of the automotive industry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2309,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[],"class_list":["post-17361","hck-submission","type-hck-submission","status-publish","hentry"],"connected_submission_link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/assignment\/digitization-challenge-2016\/","yoast_head":"\nHave You Driven a Ford Lately? - Technology and Operations Management<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/have-you-driven-a-ford-lately\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Have You Driven a Ford Lately? - Technology and Operations Management\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ford confronts the digital transformation of the automotive industry.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/have-you-driven-a-ford-lately\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Technology and Operations Management\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-11-18T07:19:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/Model-T-300x200.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/have-you-driven-a-ford-lately\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/have-you-driven-a-ford-lately\\\/\",\"name\":\"Have You Driven a Ford Lately? 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