DETROIT — Ford Motor is unveiling a fresh artificial intelligence system for its Pro commercial vehicle division as it aims to enhance the unit’s profitability and software income.
The Detroit car manufacturer announced on Tuesday that the new “Ford Pro AI” has the capability to track and assess over 1 billion data points each day from connected commercial vehicles — including seatbelt compliance, vehicle condition, route optimization, and fuel usage.
The objective is to provide its 840,000 paying commercial subscribers with resources to boost efficiency and profits while minimizing vehicle downtime by enabling them to analyze their businesses and operations more effectively, according to Ford. The automaker noted a 30% increase in Pro subscribers last year.
“Assisting them in maximizing their vehicles’ uptime, enhancing productivity, and reducing costs is not only smart business but vital for everyone,” stated Kevin Dunbar, general manager for Ford Pro Intelligence, during a media briefing. “Our team is helping to shape the future of fleet management.”
Ford Pro’s fleet operations include sales to commercial, government, and rental clients, along with its Super Duty heavy-duty truck segment.
Ford CEO Jim Farley mentioned last month that broadening Pro’s revenue streams — particularly in software — is a key area of growth for the company. He highlighted that Ford’s software and physical services, including mobile service and maintenance, are “quickly nearing” a 20% target for Pro’s profits.
The new AI service will be available to Ford’s telematics subscribers, who have assisted the company in expanding and diversifying revenue. Last year, Ford Pro reported $66 billion in revenue and $6.8 billion in profit, achieving a 10.3% profit margin.
The system is being introduced in a prompted, read-only format, but Ford will actively explore enhancing its functionalities to cater to customer demands, Dunbar stated. Pro AI is developed on Google Cloud using proprietary data from the automaker, Ford noted.
