Ford moving 225 employees to Corktown, self-driving, EV teams

"The historic building known as the Factory, at 1907 Michigan Ave. at the intersection of Rosa Parks Boulevard, will house around 225 people from Ford’s AV and EV business teams, according to Said Deep, Ford global markets spokesman. It will be the first facility operated by Ford within Detroit’s city limits in several years."

Looks like Ford is finally understanding to attract young talent that will no doubt be the driving force behind autonomous vehicles that they need to move to an urban center, great to see Ford finally moving downtown!

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/bus...own/108608450/

"A press release says the move "will enable Ford teams to immerse themselves in urban mobility challenges and solutions."

I had been seeing activity on that site for some time, wondering what was happening. Ford is struggling for relevance and this appears to be such a finger on the pulse move.

Great news, all around!

New York Times picked up the story, has renderings, and confirms my belief as to why Ford is moving downtown


Ford Chooses a Detroit Base to Take On Silicon Valley

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/14/b...d-detroit.html


"The unit’s chief, Sherif Marakby, said Thursday that the new location in Detroit would help his staff better understand emerging urban-mobility issues, as well as serve as a base to attract young, talented software engineers to Ford."

This is huge news that is buried under the Hudsons groundbreaking today. If Detroit's big three can all make downtown Detroit their hub of autonomous engineering Detroit has a HUGE potential of investment in the next decade, when all automakers will be pushing towards this

Yea...now that Detroit is right up there with Mexico,Ford can "afford" to move back.

I like this a lot. Hope it's the start of future trends.

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Originally Posted by mikefmich

I like this a lot. Hope it's the start of future trends.

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I hope the future trend will be working with silicon valley, not in competition.Detroit needs to build on its existing strengths: heavy manufacturing, engineering, and automation.

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Originally Posted by casscorridor

I hope the future trend will be working with silicon valley, not in competition.Detroit needs to build on its existing strengths: heavy manufacturing, engineering, and automation.

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Let me add to that. I'm in the automotive [[R&D) and let me say it's got to be the highest risk-to-reward industry out there.

-Short lead times
-Capital intensive
-Low margins
-High quality expectations
-Highly regulated
-Low tolerance for failure from customer, and so on....

Surprised anyone will want to compete with Detroit, let alone a region that's never built a car before; but I welcome the collaboration with Silicon Valley. This after all is where the "innovation" is most noticeable and evolving to the point where 2 or 3 MY's renders the prior "high tech" redundant or obsolete.

Today it's about connectivity, multimedia, autonomy and electrification to name a few. All of which are software intensive but code that requires a vehicle.

Tomorrow, software will still remain the key "delighter" that turns the customer on but the vehicle will likely morph into what may appear to most as generic and indistinguishable between brands. A model we are already familiar with like cell phones, laptops and tablets. In this case, and keeping with the analogy, there are two paths Detroit can go.

1. Windows/Google [[open platform)
2. Apple OS [[captive platform)

IMO, it would be smart for Detroit to focus on building the best vehicle and allow customers to select software providers to flash them with [[option 1.). This is already evident with navigation and downloadable in-vehicle apps. Why compete with Apple and Google Maps for instance? It makes even more sense once self driving cars become the norm. Customers shop for the best autonomous algorithms and network providers to run the best vehicle they can afford......if personal vehicles are even desired by then which is another argument all together.

As far as EV, we are losing the battle but winning the war. What?

EVs have not sold in big numbers yet they are clearly the future. Kind of like an automobile revolution 2.0.

There will be a lot of intended and unintended consequences including gas and oil exploration, the future of the neighborhood gas station/repair shop, etc. And also, in time, countries in the Middle East, Russia, and other world wide countries which make a lot of money off exploration should see that sector suffer.

It is very interesting to note that Ford executive saying that locating their
facility will help to attract talented young engineers. I sense from speaking with students in my classes at Michigan than many young people have a remarkably favorable view of starting their careers in downtown Detroit.

A through-the-window shot of the site as of yesterday. My long-running dream for Ford is that they repossess the Model T plant and HQ building in Highland park, the source of their wealth and fame, the grandma they left out in the rain. The genius that wrote their history happened there and in the Piquette Plant.

Attachment 34744

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Originally Posted by Lowell

A through-the-window shot of the site as of yesterday. My long-running dream for Ford is that they repossess the Model T plant and HQ building in Highland park, the source of their wealth and fame, the grandma they left out in the rain. The genius that wrote their history happened there and in the Piquette Plant.

Attachment 34744

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Yes indeed, that would be quite remarkable. Make it so...

This pleases Nero. To all naysayers Nero says; "Behold! The prophesies from the Days of Gannon have finally been fulfilled as they were always destined too be".

Those who understand take heed to my warning and leave now! For those who wish to stay, prepare yourself for the seals and angels and all that follows! Nero does not take this matter lightly. The winds of change are serious. The horsemen rode at Midnight! Now at 3am they ride again! Nero has spoken.

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Originally Posted by SpartanDawg

"The historic building known as the Factory, at 1907 Michigan Ave. at the intersection of Rosa Parks Boulevard, will house around 225 people from Ford’s AV and EV business teams, according to Said Deep, Ford global markets spokesman. It will be the first facility operated by Ford within Detroit’s city limits in several years."

Looks like Ford is finally understanding to attract young talent that will no doubt be the driving force behind autonomous vehicles that they need to move to an urban center, great to see Ford finally moving downtown!

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/bus...own/108608450/

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Michigan Ave. to Slow's [[or beyond) is becoming ripe for significant development. I could see all kind of development happening in the triangle bounded by Michigan Ave. Cochran, 75 Service Drive and 14th. As well as separate development to the Lodge.

Time for Ford [[and others) to start contributing to plans to expand the QLine to E. Jefferson and Michigan Ave.

Put a nice parking lot by the CPA building [[14th and Mich. Ave.), redevelop that building, etc.

Folks could park there and take the QLine downtown.

When the QLine comes, redevelopment follows...

I hope Ford is buying up property near their new site. Some day they might want to expand. They might also like to control the adjacent land.

Thanks for posting the picture, Lowell. I like your ideas for Piquette Street and Highland Park. No one has mentioned the quite attractive baseball park that the Police Athletic League erected on the Navin Field site.

Facinating news.

You have to wonder if this is the beginning of new thinking at Ford for what will help them attract some of the best talent coming out of the universities in the technology fields in the future?

If it is and more companies are like minded it will be a game changer for Detroit.

more customers for the White Castle across the street and Bucharest nearby.. [[and Honeybee market) neat..

hopefully Ford will expand to many more buildings in Detroit proper.
Okay, I'll say it. Why don't they just buy the old train station and do a total makeover?

Good for Detroit. I would like to see North Corktown fill in all the way to Woodbridge soon, a contiguous solid neighborhood, everything east of Rosa Parks thru 94 going North. Same for the very near East side, a strong push for development west of Jos Campau. Lots of brick and new trees, start a street by street push outward from the core.

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Originally Posted by rex

Good for Detroit. I would like to see North Corktown fill in all the way to Woodbridge soon, a contiguous solid neighborhood, everything east of Rosa Parks thru 94 going North. Same for the very near East side, a strong push for development west of Jos Campau. Lots of brick and new trees, start a street by street push outward from the core.

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Nice to hope. But the area is so vast, it would take decades or longer at the rate we are going. Also account for the fact that maybe higher density neighborhoods are more sustainable, which take up less land, making the amount of surplus land even more immense.

love to see the Qline head up Gratiot and into Eastern market. Maybe terminate at Mt Elliot for the time being

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Originally Posted by rex

love to see the Qline head up Gratiot and into Eastern market. Maybe terminate at Mt Elliot for the time being

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IF Detroit gets HQ2, it will probably get QLine2.

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Originally Posted by emu steve

IF Detroit gets HQ2, it will probably get QLine2.

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They were talking about getting into the whole automotus aspect,this all looks like a good fit going into place.