Skip to main content

A storied train station will anchor Ford’s new high-tech Detroit campus

Detroit’s Michigan Central Station has become a symbol of the Motor City’s decline. Since the last Amtrak train left on January 6, 1988, the massive station has sat abandoned, its neglected state reflecting that of downtown Detroit itself. But now Ford has acquired the complex, and plans to make it the center of a new downtown campus that will focus on development of autonomous and electric vehicles, as well as mobility services.

Recommended Videos

Over the next three to four years, Ford plans to redevelop the station to include workspaces, residences, and commercial spaces for retail business and restaurants. The renovated station will anchor Ford’s redevelopment efforts in the surrounding Corktown neighborhood, which will house the automaker’s electric and autonomous driving teams. In order to attract top talent, Ford plans to partner with local businesses and startups to make Corktown an attractive place to live.

“Michigan Central Station is a place that in many ways tells the story of Detroit over the past century,” Bill Ford, the company’s executive chairman and great grandson of founder Henry Ford, said in a statement. “We at Ford want to help with the next chapter, working together in Corktown with the best startups, the smartest talent, and the thinkers, engineers, and problem solvers who see things differently — all to shape the future of mobility and transportation.”

Ford Motor Company: Acquires Iconic Michigan Central Station with New Vision | Innovation | Ford

In addition to Michigan Central Station, Ford recently acquired the former Detroit Public Schools Book Depository, two acres of vacant land, the site of a former brass factory, and a refurbished former factory in Corktown. Ford expects to move 2,500 employees to the neighborhood by 2022, and has invested in enough space to accommodate 2,500 workers from partner companies. The automaker is also continuing renovations at its main campus in Dearborn, Michigan, located just outside Detroit, begun in 2016.

Michigan Central Station was designed by same architecture firm responsible for New York City’s iconic Grand Central Terminal. It opened in 1914 as the main Detroit passenger station of the Michigan Central Railroad, and served successor companies until Amtrak pulled out in 1988. With its 13-story office tower and 230-foot roof height, the station looms over the surrounding neighborhood. As it stood abandoned, it became a symbol of Detroit’s decline, as well as fodder for urban-exploring Instagram users.

Ford’s purchase of Michigan Central Station and its investments in the surrounding neighborhood make for a great feel-good story, but it will all be for nothing if the company’s ambitious tech plans fail.

Ford plans to put a self-driving car into production in 2021, and is planning a blitz of new electric cars and hybrids. It also wants to create a “Transportation Mobility Cloud” that will manage transactions between different types of mobility services. The teams working on these projects will all be based in Corktown, and they will all face major challenges in achieving their goals.

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Waymo recalled 1,200 robotaxis following collisions with road barriers
Waymo Jaguar I-Pace

Waymo’s autonomous-car technology has made great advances over the years to the point where it’s now allowed to offer paid robotaxi rides in select locations in the U.S.

But the development of the technology is ongoing, and the robotaxi rides continue to gather valuable data for Waymo engineers to pore over as they further refine the driverless system to make it as reliable and efficient as possible. Which is why glitches will sometimes occur.

Read more
Apple CarPlay Ultra looks stunning in Aston Martin supercar debut
Apple CarPlay Ultra

Apple CarPlay Ultra is the next generation of the Cupertino, California-based firm's smartphone projection system for your car, and it's available in new vehicles in the US and Canada.

When we say "new cars", your options are very much limited to one brand... Aston Martin. So you'll need deep pockets if you want to experience CarPlay Ultra for yourself.

Read more
Archer’s flying taxis head to LA for the 2028 Olympics
archer air taxi la28 inglewood aerial a final

Remember the buzz about flying taxis zipping through Paris for the 2024 Olympics? That sci-fi fantasy never got off the ground —Germany’s Volocopter dream was denied certification, leaving fans staring at the same old ground traffic. But now, the skies are opening again for a second shot at glory—this time over Los Angeles.
Archer Aviation, the California-based electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) company, has been named the exclusive air taxi provider for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Archer’s Midnight aircraft, a piloted electric air taxi designed to carry four passengers, will be whisking around VIPs, fans, and stakeholders between venues and key locations like LAX, Hollywood, Santa Monica, and even Orange County. Think 10-20 minute flights that skip the infamous LA gridlock and land you right where the action is—on the roof, basically.
“We want to transform the way people get around Los Angeles and leave a legacy that shapes the future of transportation in America. There’s no better time to do that than during the LA28 Games,” said Adam Goldstein, CEO and founder of Archer Aviation.
And Midnight isn’t just a pretty rotor. It’s a whisper-quiet, emission-light aircraft with 12 rotors and a redundant, airline-level safety design.
What’s more, Archer and LA28 are working together to electrify vertiport hubs around the city—think futuristic sky stations—to serve not only Games-time needs but also to plant seeds for a post-Olympic air mobility network.
The air mobility market has been fast developing over the past few years, featuring the likes of Hyundai partnership with China’s XPeng HT Aero and Toyota's backing of Joby Aviation, a U.S. venture. Joby bought Uber Elevate in 2020, hoping to someday pair its air taxis with Uber’s ride-hailing app.
Archer, for its part, has been busy building a strategic partnership with United Airlines, which has already placed orders for the aircraft and is helping with logistics to integrate air taxis into airport-to-downtown travel. More than a demo for the cameras, the LA28 partnership will showcase urban air travel for real-world daily use, starting with one of the most high-profile events on Earth.
After raising false hopes in Paris, the air taxi dream is aiming for liftoff in LA—and this time, it might just stick the landing.

Read more