Ford appoints tech leader as CEO in bid to become faster, leaner, and more profitable

By Ronan Glon Published May 24, 2017

Ford CEO and president Mark Fields has unexpectedly retired. Sources close to the company report he was ousted from the Blue Oval because its board of directors was frustrated by shrinking profit margins, and a stock price that has collapsed by 37 percent since Fields replaced Alan Mulally in 2014.

Ford appointed 62-year old Jim Hackett to replace Fields. The move is significant because Hackett was previously in charge of Ford Smart Mobility, a subsidiary established a little over a year ago to develop and invest in mobility services. He ran a furniture company named Steelcase for nearly 20 years, and he’s a well-respected figure in Silicon Valley.

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Bill Ford — the company’s executive chairman — and members of the board are eager to steer Ford into a new era of technology. The Detroit-based company has already invested billions of dollars into electric powertrains, autonomous technology, and ridesharing services to keep up with rivals like General Motors, Uber, and Tesla.

Hackett faces a task of Herculean proportions. His first priority is to make Ford faster, leaner, and more profitable. He needs to further improve the quality of the company’s products, ensure new models reach the market in a timely manner, and decisively address under-performing parts of the business, according to a statement published by the company.

He is also expected to modernize Ford by accelerating the adoption of new technologies like artificial intelligence, big data, 3D-printing, and advanced robotics. Finally, he needs to make sure the company is ready to tackle future challenges, including the rise of self-driving cars, shifting consumer tastes, and ever-tighter emissions regulations that will soon come into effect in key markets like China and the United States.

“The future is not a fantasy. It’s not where Bill [Ford] and I are making things up. We talk to lots of people around the world who are really smart. We’re triangulating all of these forces to try to come up with a competitive set, to figure out where we’re going to play and how we’re going to win,” affirmed Hackett in a press conference held at Ford headquarters.

Ford promoted three executives to help Hackett get the job done. Jim Farley is in charge of global markets, and responsible for putting the company’s under-performing Lincoln division back on track. Joe Hinrichs is running global operations, while Marcy Klevorn is replacing Hackett at the head of Ford Smart Mobility.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…

Cars

Slate Unveils $20K Electric Truck That Transforms Into an SUV

slate 20k ev blank roller 1 web

Slate Automotive, a new American EV startup, has just unveiled its first vehicle: a radically minimalist electric truck that can convert into a five-seat SUV. Dubbed the “Blank Slate,” the EV made its debut this week, instantly turning heads not just for its versatility but for its incredibly low price—starting under $20,000 after federal tax incentives.

Unlike Tesla and Lucid, which launched with high-priced luxury models, Slate wants to flip the model: start cheap, scale up.
At its core, the Slate Truck is a utilitarian, two-seat electric pickup designed for simplicity and affordability. But what sets it apart is its transformative potential. Thanks to a modular accessory system, the truck can be upgraded over time—including a kit that adds a rear seat, roll cage, airbags, and SUV body panels. This means buyers can start with a minimalist pickup and evolve it into a family-friendly SUV—either themselves or through Slate’s growing network of service partners.
Customization is central to Slate’s vision. Owners will be able to choose from over 100 accessories at launch, ranging from vinyl wraps and Bluetooth-ready audio systems to larger battery packs and off-road upgrades. The company encourages a DIY approach, offering tools and tutorials through “Slate University” to empower users to modify and maintain their own vehicles.
Powering the truck is a 52.7-kWh battery for up to 150 miles of range, or an optional 84.3-kWh pack targeting 240 miles. Fast-charging capabilities and Tesla’s NACS port come standard. The vehicle is rear-wheel-drive and delivers around 200 horsepower—enough for urban commuting and light-duty hauling.
What enables the low price is Slate’s stripped-down approach to manufacturing. There’s no paint shop, no stamping, and only one trim level—everything else is modular. The vehicle features steel wheels, crank windows, and a rugged plastic body designed to take a beating and still look good. It’s a rejection of the tech-saturated, high-cost vehicles dominating today’s market.
Despite the minimalist specs, Slate isn’t skimping on safety. The truck is engineered to meet top crash test ratings and comes equipped with up to eight airbags, active emergency braking, and forward collision warning.
Backing this ambitious approach is significant investor support—including Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos. That backing, combined with a simplified production model, positions Slate to scale quickly once production begins in 2026.
Reservations are now open for $50 at slate.auto, with deliveries expected in late 2026. Whether Americans are ready for a stripped-down, shape-shifting EV remains to be seen, but Slate’s bet on affordability and customization could make it one of the most disruptive entries in the EV market to date.

Cars

Waymo and Toyota explore personally owned self-driving cars

Front three quarter view of the 2023 Toyota bZ4X.

Waymo and Toyota have announced they’re exploring a strategic collaboration—and one of the most exciting possibilities on the table is bringing fully-automated driving technology to personally owned vehicles.
Alphabet-owned Waymo has made its name with its robotaxi service, the only one currently operating in the U.S. Its vehicles, including Jaguars and Hyundai Ioniq 5s, have logged tens of millions of autonomous miles on the streets of San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin.
But shifting to personally owned self-driving cars is a much more complex challenge.
While safety regulations are expected to loosen under the Trump administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has so far taken a cautious approach to the deployment of fully autonomous vehicles. General Motors-backed Cruise robotaxi was forced to suspend operations in 2023 following a fatal collision.
While the partnership with Toyota is still in the early stages, Waymo says it will initially study how to merge its autonomous systems with the Japanese automaker’s consumer vehicle platforms.
In a recent call with analysts, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai signaled that Waymo is seriously considering expanding beyond ride-hailing fleets and into personal ownership. While nothing is confirmed, the partnership with Toyota adds credibility—and manufacturing muscle—to that vision.
Toyota brings decades of safety innovation to the table, including its widely adopted Toyota Safety Sense technology. Through its software division, Woven by Toyota, the company is also pushing into next-generation vehicle platforms. With Waymo, Toyota is now also looking at how automation can evolve beyond assisted driving and into full autonomy for individual drivers.
This move also turns up the heat on Tesla, which has long promised fully self-driving vehicles for consumers. While Tesla continues to refine its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software, it remains supervised and hasn’t yet delivered on full autonomy. CEO Elon Musk is promising to launch some of its first robotaxis in Austin in June.
When it comes to self-driving cars, Waymo and Tesla are taking very different roads. Tesla aims to deliver affordability and scale with its camera, AI-based software. Waymo, by contrast, uses a more expensive technology relying on pre-mapped roads, sensors, cameras, radar and lidar (a laser-light radar), that regulators have been quicker to trust.

Cars

Aston Martin DBX S is the world’s most powerful SUV, if you ignore electric

Aston Martin DBX S

British brand Aston Martin has unveiled what it is the most powerful non-electrified SUV on the market in the DBX S. The new flagship SUV blends the dynamism of the DBX 707 with engine enhancements derived from the Valhalla supercar, to deliver what the company is promising to be a more engaging drive through increased power, reduced weight, and a more assertive design.

The DBX S continues Aston Martin’s tradition of using the ‘S’ suffix to denote higher-performance versions of existing models – something it first did back in 2004 with the Vanquish S.