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| Ford Motor Co. President of Global Markets Jim Farley |
DETROIT — Ford Motor Co will begin testing its latest self-driving vehicle technology next year in at least one city but will not change its plan to begin commercial production until 2021, the company said.
The automaker will test self-driving prototypes in various pilot programs with partners such as Lyft, the ride services company in which rival General Motors owns a minority stake, and Domino's Pizza.
In a blog post, Jim Farley, president of global markets, said Ford will test new business models that involve its self-driving vehicles, including the movement of people and goods.
Ford is shifting production of a future battery electric vehicle to Mexico to free up capacity at its Flat Rock, Michigan, plant to build the self-driving vehicles in 2021, according to spokesman Alan Hall.
The electric vehicle, whose more-advanced battery system will enable a driving range of more than 300 miles, will go into production in 2020 at Ford's Cuatitlan plant, which will also build a new hybrid crossover vehicle around the same time.
At the Flat Rock plant, Ford is boosting investment to $900 million from $700 million and adding 850 jobs.
Unlike the full electric vehicle from Cuatitlan, the self-driving vehicle from Flat Rock will use a hybrid system with a gasoline engine and an electric motor, Hall said.
