Ford plans to take the lead in the world of autonomous vehicles, having a fully autonomous, ride-sharing vehicle ready for delivery in 2021 within its Ford Smart Mobility plan that sees Ford as a leader in autonomous vehicles, as well as in connectivity, mobility, the customer experience, and data and analytics.

"The next decade will be defined by automation of the automobile, and we see autonomous vehicles as having as significant an impact on society as Ford's moving assembly line did 100 years ago," said Mark Fields, Ford president and CEO. "We're dedicated to putting on the road an autonomous vehicle that can improve safety and solve social and environmental challenges for millions of people – not just those who can afford luxury vehicles."

According to Ford's press release, the company will triple its autonomous vehicle test fleet to be the largest test fleet of any automaker – bringing the number to about 30 self-driving Fusion Hybrid sedans on the roads in California, Arizona and Michigan, with plans to triple it again next year. 

"Ford has been developing and testing autonomous vehicles for more than 10 years," said Raj Nair, Ford executive vice president, Global Product Development, and chief technical officer. "We have a strategic advantage because of our ability to combine the software and sensing technology with the sophisticated engineering necessary to manufacture high-quality vehicles. That is what it takes to make autonomous vehicles a reality for millions of people around the world."

Ford was the first automaker to begin testing its vehicles at Mcity, University of Michigan's simulated urban environment, the first automaker to publicly demonstrate autonomous vehicle operation in the snow and the first automaker to test its autonomous research vehicles at night, in complete darkness, as part of LiDAR sensor development.

Aug. 19, 2016 Driving photo: Ford

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