New Approaches to Mega-City Mobility

As we continue to compete for a share of automobile sales in both mature and rapidly growing markets, we are simultaneously developing a new business model - called mega-city mobility - based on providing innovative, integrated urban mobility products, services and technologies. We have spent several years developing the mega-city mobility concept and process. Because we believe that mobility solutions must be tailored to local economic, cultural and infrastructure characteristics, the process begins with building a network of committed private sector and public-sector partners. It also includes extensive stakeholder engagement to identify critical problems and promising solutions.

During 2007 and early 2008, we moved forward with building networks to support a mega-city mobility pilot project in Cape Town, South Africa, and explore potential projects in other locations around the world. We have also begun planning for projects in Chicago, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Detroit and Atlanta, and we are participating, with the World Resources Institute's EMBARQ project, in a mobility program in Istanbul, Turkey. We have a business presence in all of these locations and have worked over the years to build trust with potential partners and stakeholders through our commitment to sustainability reporting, support for human rights and engagement with local communities. These locations also have major unmet mobility needs.

We have found that public and private entities in these cities are concerned about mobility problems and are receptive to potential solutions. During 2008, we will launch the Cape Town project as a prototype (see Case Study: New Mobility Solutions for Cape Town, South Africa). Our goal for the year is to complete the design of 10 to 12 hub/network sites to link transportation modes.

The environmental and social case for mega-city mobility is compelling. We believe the business case for Ford's involvement is equally compelling. We are moving ahead with these prototype projects, which will help us understand the practicalities of providing integrated urban mobility services. By partnering with diverse organizations and providing real solutions for challenging problems, we're learning valuable lessons about how we can meet customer needs well into the future.