Ford CEO, Jim Hackett, is looking to lead a technological revolution, saying that “dumb cars” have no place and Ford isn’t going to be left behind. The revolution begins by focusing on assisted, autonomous, and electric vehicles now and in the future.

With Ford’s share price in a downward spiral over the past few years, GM, on the other hand, has seen share increases. Of course, the most technologically advanced automaker, Tesla, recently crept past Ford and GM when its valuation hit $58.7 billion – ultimately making it America’s most valuable car company. As such, Ford investors have been putting on the pressure for the brand to focus on the latest technology and be less dependent on large truck sales as its primary source of income.

Hackett believes that cars still have a future on the road, but dumb cars will fall behind, which is already happening with a lot of Ford’s models as other brands surpass the brand in that regard. At the Michigan CEO summit in Detroit, Hackett said, “Fords future is not about giving up the car. We have to evolve these things to be ever smarter. For a while, we didn’t see the computer as an integrated aspect. Now, think about it, my vehicle is a rolling computer.”

And, we have no choice but to agree as every other automaker is integrated was we now consider “basic” assistance and autonomous systems as standard equipment or, at the very least, an available option at relatively low cost compared to just a few years ago. After all, when a company like Tesla, which doesn’t even know what profit smells like, can become America’s most valuable automaker ahead of long-living brands like Ford and GM, it’s time to put up or shut up.

Of course, it’s not that Ford isn’t pushing to some extent. In recent years, the brand has introduced things like drift mode in the Focus RS, line lock, and a diff-locking handbrake, among other technologies. Now, however, it’s time for the brand to step its game up. It needs more EVs, it needs more hybrids, and it needs more autonomous tech. If not, the brand is going to continue to slide, and one of America’s oldest car companies could eventually fade in the history books as a once great but failed automaker.

Does Jim Hackett have what it takes to stop Ford's landslide and bring it back to par with its main rival GM? Let us know what you think and what you would like to see in the coming years from the blue oval.

References

Ford Focus

Read our full review on the 2017 Ford Focus RS.

Read our full speculative review on the 2018 Ford Focus.