Dialogue Ford: Unmanned 2050 See

Inter-connected open platform reporter: Last year, Mondeo's models were equipped with the SYNC platform, and also launched many services for Chinese consumers, including some Chinese applications. What Ford did research on Chinese consumers before launching to refine the habits of Chinese consumers? How has the user feedback since the Chinese version was promoted?

Bai Sizhe: Ford made a lot of research and development before SYNC was introduced to China. Chinese consumers and foreign consumers are indeed different in their habits. A small example is that the navigation habits in the United States are first to say numbers, to say road names, and so on. The Chinese are speaking in reverse. After the listing, we also did a lot of research, such as customer satisfaction, we are very honored to see that on the SYNC customer survey, there are 9 customers out of 10 who are willing to recommend the SYNC technology to his friends.

Reporter: In recent years, Ford has also chosen many companies in China as partners, such as Baidu and China Mobile. What is Ford’s partner standard for selecting Chinese cooperation? How to determine the final application?

Bai Sizhe: We hope to choose some APP partners. Their application needs are that Chinese consumers have already liked and recognized, and many people are using it. Therefore, we are looking for open, diversified partners. In terms of choosing applications, first of all, according to its classification, when we develop the APP globally, we discover that there are three kinds of APPs that users want first—music, navigation, and voice assistants. We develop APP applications in any market. The partners will first find in these three categories, work with him according to the country's hottest APP, and slowly expand our APP library through the accumulation of time.

Reporter: Can you give an example of specific product development to illustrate how to develop cooperatively, and then what kind of product will it eventually become?

Bai Sizhe: For example, we chose Baidu Maps in the navigation, but there are many functions in Baidu Maps, including hotels and buses. In fact, these features are not necessarily used by Ford cars, so we will have a local R&D team and Baidu product R&D. Teams come together to discuss and find the most useful user needs. Then the engineers of both parties work together to develop the test. After they finish testing, we will put it into our real Ford car for several weeks to a month or so to ensure that this function is easy to use and that it meets the requirements of safe driving. After that, Baidu can submit these applications to the app store for users to use.

Reporter: The in-vehicle interconnection function is similar to the standard in the entire automotive industry. How long is it expected to take? Does Ford have any specific plans in this area?

Bai Sizhe: It is very important to see how car networking is defined. There are various options for introducing the network into the car. Ford, this method is named "brought-in", which means that the mobile phone is introduced into the car. Some of the original Internet functions of the mobile phone can be directly reflected in the car. With AppLink technology, as long as you have a mobile phone, the mobile phone can access the Internet and enter the car can be interconnected. If the mobile phone originally has a data package, it will not incur additional costs when used in the car. This is not just a platform for high-end customers. When this becomes standard, this has already been achieved from a certain point of view.

Intelligence begins with self-service driving Reporter: Will Ford choose to load smart wearable technology that is getting hot right now?

Bai Sizhe: The great similarity between wearable and our technology is that both will transmit the information obtained back to the mobile phone. Since AppLink communicates directly with the mobile phone, although it is not very simple, the wearable information has already been transmitted. To the mobile phone, the transfer of this thing to the car should be a feasible way. Different from the direction of AppLink, Ford has done some research and development of embedded technology before. We have a technology that can directly test heartbeat in the seat.

Reporter: In 2011, Google has started to search for driverless cars. The industry is highly controversial. What technologies does Ford have in automatic driving that are relatively advanced in the industry?

Bai Sizhe: Ford is very supportive of smart driving. At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona a few months ago, we demonstrated the concept of smart driving. Our great advantage is that Ford now has a lot of cars. There are actually many radars. All kinds of detectors. For example, there are 17 to 21 Sensors on the Fox in 2014. These can help the car to do some basic automatic operations, such as parking, or automatically help you brake in case of traffic jams. There are more than a dozen different technologies in all aspects. Although not directly across to the driverless, these smart driving technologies are moving in this direction. In addition, Ford and Aachen University of Technology have collaborated on a new research project to develop a man-machine interface that is more suitable for autonomous vehicles.

Reporter: In the future, if the driverless vehicles are mass-produced or applied on a large scale, what are the possible bottlenecks? Do you predict that unmanned large-scale applications may take several years?

Bai Sizhe: The biggest challenge is that all of our vehicles' detectors now rely on their own detectors to sense all the information around them. They can't really communicate with other cars, and some of the communication channels between cars and cars are not yet open. This technology is not yet mature. If it is really done, the standard between the car and the car must also be the same. We have been constantly communicating with other manufacturers and want to lay down this standard. By 2050 we hope to be able to achieve driverless driving, as well as the communication between cars and cars, automatic grouping, and the sharing of information between the car and the surrounding facilities.