Ford's new "Universal Production System" will be a production revolution, but it will take some key jobs away from robots and give them back to people. That's one of several revelations the company CEO dropped in a recent interview, along with how F1 really helps road cars, and a new twist on his mantra of no boring cars.
New Production Will Slash Costs, Build Times
"The operator doesn’t have machines to put in the instrument panel or the seats, they’re actually inside it." That comes direct from Ford CEO Jim Farley, speaking with TopGear about the future of Ford. He said that Ford's Universal EV Production System, which will build its upcoming lower-cost EV, will be 40% faster than existing processes.
Ford will build vehicles in three separate parts to make the overall assembly process easier. "It's 30% more efficient" that way, he said. Ford can shrink the plant and reduce costs. Big parts like the dash don't slide in through the door with expensive machines, it can just be slid into the open section.
"You take massive amounts of stampings and welding out of the system," Farley told TopGear. "We use the battery as the floorpan, it’s a structural member, and we’ll have LFP [lithium iron phosphate] batteries. We have to attach the front of the vehicle in a way that no one has ever done before. No one’s ever built a car in high volume like this... a car every 50 seconds."
That new vehicle is still set to arrive in 2027 with a price tag of $30,000. But it will also offer next-generation eyes-off highway driving, Farley said. He wants it to be aspirational, not for buyers to see a "generic, affordable compliance vehicle for the government."
F1 Helps Make Road Cars More Reliable
Farley also spoke about the company's Formula 1 effort with Red Bull Powertrain Operations. "I gotta tell you, this PU [power unit], it’s one of the hardest things we’ve ever done," he said. Farley said things were a lot different the last time Ford was in F1.
Ford has 176 wins in F1 and 13 Drivers' titles, but the last of either was in 1994. The last time the company was in the series at all was with Jaguar and Cosworth in 2004, during the V10 era. It sold Jag and Cosworth the next year, and the team, ironically, became Red Bull Racing. It's all basically come full circle.
Source: TopGear
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This article originally appeared on CarBuzz and is republished here with permission.
