Ford Skips Over Google Deal In CES Reveals

Justin Hyde
·Managing Editor

Ford unwrapped a bundle of tech news this morning to kickoff the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, from putting Apple Carplay and Android Auto in its vehicles to a competition for building mobile drone bases in pickups. But it did not reveal what we had said it might: a partnership with Google to build self-driving vehicles.

Instead, Ford CEO Mark Fields teased the idea of Ford’s autonomous partnerships, saying that when it comes to whether it would work with other firms, “the answer is yes,” then listed a group of universities and firms Ford has already partnered with. Asked after the presentation about Google, Fields had this to say:

“We work with a lot of different companies, and we continue to talk with a lot of different companies on a variety of subjects related to our Ford Smart Mobility plans…We keep those conversations private for competitive reasons, so we’re not going to comment on the speculation that’s been out there.”

But the Ford-Google deal is quite real, even if it didn’t get its unveiling today.

As we and others have said, the deal will see Google’s self-driving unit share its software expertise inside Ford-built vehicles. The two will collaborate on other mobility tech, such as vehicle-to-vehicle communication. And it will not be an exclusive to Ford; Google’s unit (which may become a stand-alone business under the corporate Alphabet banner) will be free to work with other automakers.

Today’s news from Ford showed how Google could fit in, even if Fields never mentioned them. While Ford has been testing autonomous driving tech for more than a decade, it’s fleet of self-driving prototypes has been fairly small. Fields said today Ford would triple its testers to 30 Ford Fusion Hybrids this year; Google already has 53 test cars—both its own custom-built runabouts and modified Lexus SUVs—on the road now.

A week from now, Ford will have another audience with the media at the annual Detroit auto show, the next likely venue where a Google partnership could be revealed. Stay tuned.