Ford has already been working with Pivotal on its FordPass program.
DETROIT, MI - Calling it another step as it transitions to an automotive and mobility company, Ford Motor Co. said Thursday it is investing $182.2 million in Pivotal, a San Francisco-based tech firm.
Ford has already been working with Pivotal on its FordPass program, which company President and CEO Mark Fields revealed at the Detroit auto show last January,
FordPass, Fields said, "re-imagines the entire customer experience," and is a "marketplace of mobility solutions," bringing together guides, a marketplace and a rewards program around Ford products. It gives customers remote access to vehicles with a smart phone app and other services such as parking and car sharing.
Building on this relationship, Ford said it plans to incorporate Pivotal's cloud-based, advanced software development technology across IT, product devleopment and engineering teams.
It's part of the company's Ford Smart Mobility program, with which it aims to be a leader in connectivity, mobility and autonomous vehicles.
The Dearborn automaker said it will put Pivotal's next-generation cloud platform and analytics capabilities to use on new mobility projects, such as it Dynamic Shuttle pilot program.
"Expanding our business to be both an auto and mobility company requires leading-edge software expertise to deliver outstanding customer experiences," Ford president and CEO Mark Fields said in a release. "Our investment in Pivotal will help strengthen our ability to deliver these customer experiences at the speed of Silicon Valley, including continually expanding FordPass - our digital, physical and personal mobility experience platform."
Ford and Pivotal also plan to open new software labs in strategic locations throughout the U.S. and Europe. The two companies will staff the labs with software architects, engineers and "user-experience experts," Ford said.
David Muller is the automotive and business reporter for MLive Media Group in Detroit. Email him at dmuller@mlive.com, follow him on Twitter or find him on Facebook.