Ford Partners With Google To Replace Its Microsoft Based SYNC In Car Info and Entertainment Service

Ford and Google come together in first-of-its-kind partnership to create unique services and capabilities for Ford and Lincoln customers, and to accelerate Ford’s transformation plan
Ford has also named Google Cloud its preferred cloud provider to leverage Google’s world-class expertise in data, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML)
As part of this new, six-year partnership—and beginning in 2023—millions of future Ford and Lincoln vehicles at all price points will be powered by Android, with Google apps and services built-in
To drive ongoing innovation, Ford and Google are establishing a new collaborative group, Team Upshift, that will push the boundaries of Ford’s transformation, unlock personalized consumer experiences, and drive disruptive, data-driven opportunities

Dearborn, Mich., and Sunnyvale, Calif., Feb. 1, 2021 – Ford and Google today announced a unique strategic partnership to accelerate Ford’s transformation and reinvent the connected vehicle experience. Ford has also named Google Cloud its preferred cloud provider to leverage Google’s world-class expertise in data, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML). As part of this new, six-year partnership—and beginning in 2023—millions of future Ford and Lincoln vehicles at all price points will be powered by Android, with Google apps and services built-in.

To drive ongoing innovation, Ford and Google are establishing a new collaborative group, Team Upshift. Leveraging the talent and assets of both companies, Team Upshift will push the boundaries of Ford’s transformation, unlock personalized consumer experiences, and drive disruptive, data-driven opportunities. This may include projects ranging from developing new retail experiences when buying a vehicle, creating new ownership offers based on data, and more.

“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,” said Jim Farley, President and CEO of Ford.

“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,” said Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet. “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.”

As its preferred cloud provider and starting later this year, Google will help Ford leverage Google Cloud’s AI, ML and data analytics technologies to accelerate the automaker’s digital transformation, modernize operations, and power connected vehicle technologies with Google’s trusted, secure, and reliable cloud. With Google Cloud, Ford plans to:

Further improve customer experiences for customers with differentiated technology and personalized services;
Accelerate modernization of product development, manufacturing and supply chain management, including exploration of using vision AI for manufacturing employee training and even more reliable plant equipment performance;
Fast track the implementation of data-driven business models resulting in customers receiving real-time notices such as maintenance requests or trade-in alerts.

Ford and Google have a shared vision to bring enjoyable, safer and more efficient connected vehicle experiences built to minimize driver distraction and keep customers at the forefront of technology with over-the-air updates. Beginning in 2023, Ford and Lincoln customers globally will start to benefit from unique digital experiences built on top of the Android operating system and with Google apps and services built-in, which include world-class map and voice technology:

With Google Assistant, drivers can keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel, by getting things done with just their voice.
With Google Maps as the vehicles’ primary navigation, drivers can reach their destination faster with information on real-time traffic, automatic rerouting, lane guidance and more.
With Google Play, drivers will have access to their favorite apps for listening to music, podcasts, audiobooks and more. These apps are optimized and integrated for in-vehicle use.
Android in the car also enables Ford and third-party developers to build apps that provide a constantly improving and ever-more-personalized ownership experience.

“We are obsessed with creating must-have, distinctively Ford products and services,” said Farley. “This integration will unleash our teams to innovate for Ford and Lincoln customers while seamlessly providing access to Google’s world-class apps and services.”

About Ford Motor Company

About Google Cloud

Google Cloud provides organizations with leading infrastructure, platform capabilities and industry solutions. We deliver enterprise-grade cloud solutions that leverage Google’s cutting-edge technology to help companies operate more efficiently and adapt to changing needs, giving customers a foundation for the future. Customers in more than 150 countries turn to Google Cloud as their trusted partner to solve their most critical business problems.

About Google

Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Through products and platforms like Search, Maps, Gmail, Android, Google Play, Chrome and YouTube, Google plays a meaningful role in the daily lives of billions of people and has become one of the most widely-known companies in the world. Google is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc

Here’s Why We’re Co-Creating Our Future with Google

David McClelland, Vice President Strategy and Partnerships, Ford Motor Company

This is a pivotal moment for Ford Motor Company. The auto industry is undergoing seismic changes as new technology transforms the way people move. Most automakers already have decided if they want to lead change or cede it to others. We continue making clear through our words and investments that we plan to disrupt. But not alone. We will partner for expertise and efficiency and learn from the best so we can bring more value to the customer.

Today, we are executing on this important part of our plan by partnering with Google, which knows a thing or two about disruption, and how to speed up the modernization process.

We’re proud to share that Ford and Google are establishing a new collaborative group fittingly called Team Upshift, comprised of employees from both companies and tasked with driving future innovations. We’re going to leverage the talent and assets of both companies to push the boundaries of Ford’s transformation, unlock personalized consumer experiences, and drive disruptive, data-driven opportunities. This may include projects ranging from modernizing our plants through vision AI, developing new retail experiences when buying a vehicle, creating new ownership offers based on connected vehicle data, and more.

It also means employing Google Cloud as our preferred cloud provider, which lets us tap into Google’s world-class expertise in data, artificial intelligence and machine learning. It means building on a shared vision of providing safer and more efficient connected vehicle experiences by integrating Android and Google services directly into our vehicles.

And it means coming together to dream up brand new products and services people can’t live without.

Partnering with Google will help us realize multiple aspects of our plan, such as:

Modernizing everywhere: By leveraging Google Cloud, we’ll continue our digital transformation and power connected vehicle technologies with a trusted, secure and global cloud solution. A few things we’ll be focused on include:

· Further improving customer experiences by deploying innovative and personalized services.
· Accelerating the modernization of our product development, manufacturing and supply chain management, including exploring the potential for vision AI to aid the training of manufacturing employees and to help attain even more reliable plant equipment performance.
· Fast-tracking the implementation of business models resulting in customers receiving real-time notices such as maintenance requests or trade-in alerts.

Delivering must-have products and services: These days, it’s not enough to just offer competitive products. The product has to be so good, so unique, that customers have no doubt about making it a part of their life. Working with Google helps us deliver features and services that customers will be excited about, including:

· Beginning in 2023, Ford and Lincoln customers globally will benefit from unique digital experiences built on top of Google’s Android operating system and with Google apps and services built-in to our vehicles, including world-class map and voice technology.
· In addition to the Google Play ecosystem, Ford and third-party developers will create even more apps to enable an improving and more personalized ownership experience.
· By leveraging Android Auto, Ford also will be able to divert significant software engineering talent from operating system development to the creation of unique Ford and Lincoln customer innovations.

Disrupting the way we think: Historically, we’ve thought of products first and services second. As a company whose history is steeped in manufacturing, that’s only natural. But as industry and customer needs shift, it’s critical that we focus just as much on services as we do our vehicles. Teaming up with Google allows us to accelerate our ability to challenge our current ownership model and deploy new business models to capture recurring revenue and profit from software, data and connected ecosystems.

At Ford, we are obsessed with giving our vehicles distinctive personalities. That includes exciting designs you can’t miss, but also unique in-vehicle experiences that make each trip more enjoyable, and better than the last one. It means that whether our customers are hard at work, braving the great outdoors or looking for peace and mind on the road, we’re building a future tailored specifically for their needs.

Top-tier services. Cutting edge experiences. A commitment to excellence. At the end of the day, that’s what we’re about at Ford — and it’s what this new relationship will help us deliver.

You’re going to like what you see. And we’re confident you won’t want to live without it.