VIEWPOINT | THE WORLD MOBILITY LEADERSHIP FORUM

This month Detroit is hosting the World Mobility Leadership Forum, an invitational event featuring major thought leaders who will present their views about the challenges and opportunities in mobility presented by this new era in the auto industry.

The two-day event on Sept. 28-29 has been organized by Business Leaders for Michigan, the state’s business roundtable. The premier sponsor is the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC).

The MEDC recently launched multiple initiatives to promote Michigan’s expertise in the advanced mobility space, notes Kevin Kerrigan, senior vice president of the organization’s Automotive Office. He describes the inaugural forum and MEDC’s role in the emerging personal mobility industry.

What is the aim of the World Mobility Leadership Forum?

The conference is being convened by Ford Motor Co. Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr., who has led the auto industry in recognizing the coming changes in personal transportation brought on by concerns about air quality, urban congestion, and access to transportation by the elderly and poor. These topics and more will be discussed during the conference.

The forum itself recognizes that the “smart mobility” revolution in personal transportation has already begun. There’s the very real potential that this next generation of mobility can help overcome many societal and economic problems.

Achieving that potential will mean developing and integrating a complex web of regulatory, legal, technical and cultural elements. World Mobility Leadership Forum participants will describe what will be necessary to perform this task, from connected and autonomous vehicles to Big Data and a “smart” infrastructure to support the ideal mobility ecosystem of the future.

But the conference isn’t just about what is possible. Panels will describe solutions that have already been implemented and explain how these innovative products and services are enriching lives around the world. Attendees also will have the opportunity to see and experience many of the emerging technologies and services that will help shape this redefinition of personal transportation as we know it today.

Who are the participants?

It’s an impressive list of panelists and speakers, topped by keynoters Bill Ford Jr.; Mary Barra, General Motors Co.’s chair and CEO; and Jim Goodnight, co-founder and CEO of SAS, the world’s largest privately owned software company.

Among the featured speakers are senior executives from Cisco, Lyft, Tesla, Toyota and Volvo, plus top transportation officials from Finland, the U.S. and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. They will be joined by subject experts in such areas as enterprise mobility services (Luum), advanced highway management systems (Abertis Infraestructuras), chauffeured car services (Careem), and the implementation of transformational mobility technologies (CAVita).

Why hold the Forum in Michigan?

Michigan has led the auto industry for a century, and it isn’t going to let that heritage disappear. Its unequalled talent pool and knowledge base will be absolutely essential in accomplishing the transition in personal mobility to the advanced options we’re already beginning to see in the world of transportation.

It’s absolutely clear that carmakers are doubling down about continuing to play a fundamental role in the transportation sector, regardless of what it looks like in the future. The commitment is obvious in Michigan: In April, Ford announced it is spending more than $1 billion to completely redesign its headquarters and technical centers in Dearborn. CEO Mark Fields says the goal is to support Ford’s transition from carmaker to auto and mobility company.

Last year General Motors Co. launched a $1 billion project with similar goals as it transforms it sprawling technical center in Warren. Toyota Motor Co. has opened its third research facility—this one devoted to artificial intelligence and robotics—in Michigan. These examples show the auto industry’s commitment to both Michigan and the expanded definition of personal transportation.

The automotive office at MEDC supports the domestic industry with an initiative called We Run on Brainpower, which underscores the talent and technical resources available in Michigan. We’re also inviting all members of the state’s transportation community to join our new Planet M movement, which more broadly promotes Michigan’s strong position in the mobility space.

Of course, we recognize that re-imagining personal transportation transcends any one region, country or industry. That is why we are seeing the dramatic acceleration in the pace of alliances and partnerships between traditional carmakers and innovators from outside the industry. This is as true for the domestic Big Three carmakers in southeastern Michigan as it is for every other significant vehicle manufacturer around the world. This is recognized by the speakers at the World Mobility Leadership Forum and underscores why this event will be so important.

How can I find out about attending this event?

Please send an email with your request to info@worldmobilityleadershipforum.com.