Ford to Triple Engineering Investment in Driver-Assist Technologies

Ford Motor Co. plans to triple its engineering investment in driver-assist technologies over the next five years.

Speaking at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, CEO Mark Fields reiterated Ford's commitment to be a leader in connectivity, mobility and autonomous vehicle systems. But he didn’t specify the amount of the new investment or say where the increases in engineering resources would be implemented.

Last month Ford announced plans to triple its fleet of fully autonomous test vehicles this year with the addition of 20 models based on its Fusion hybrid sedan. Fields says the company’s first production self-driving car will be a mass-market model designed for millions of buyers rather than a limited-production luxury model. No timeframe was given for the launch of such a vehicle.