Ford Plans Push into Transport Services This Year

Ford Motor Co. plans to push beyond carmaking by establishing a presence in the $5.4 trillion-per-year transportation services industry this year, according to CEO Mark Fields.

He tells attendees at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that Ford will step up its interest in such transportation alternatives as ride-sharing and short-term car rental services. The company has been evaluating such options for years.

Fields is vague about exactly what Ford has in mind. But he notes the transportation services sector, from which the auto industry derives virtually no revenue, generates more than twice the income of new-car manufacturing.

Fields rules out Ford as a contract manufacturer of cars for others, thus quashing speculation the company might partner with Apple Inc. on an advanced vehicle.