self driving car | Lamarque Ford

Ford Joins IBM To Jump To The Future

February 1, 2016 By Matthew Hritz Leave a Comment

Ford Motor Co. CEO Mark Fields is joining IBM as a board of director as the No. 2 U.S. automaker explores alternative mobility options beyond selling cars and trucks.

“Mark led the highly successful transformation of his company in a competitive industry where technology has driven innovation. He is leading Ford into a future where cars are not only vehicles, but increasingly becoming mobile technology platforms,” said Ginni Rometty, IBM’s chairman, president, and CEO.

Under Fields, Ford has looked at alternatives to traditional car ownership, including mergers and acquisitions and partnerships.

Ford and other automakers are increasingly focused on self-driving cars and the potentially disruptive influence autonomous cars may have on future car ownership. They face potential threats from new competitors from Silicon Valley. Ford is exploring alternatives like car-sharing and other options to meet future transportation needs.

Fields told Reuters earlier this month the automaker is exploring various options to boost its move into car-sharing, self-driving technology, and services built on staying connected with customers during the 900 or so hours a year they are behind the wheel.

The company has repeatedly declined to comment on reports that Ford is pursuing an alliance with Internet leader Alphabet Inc.’s Google to collaborate on the development of self-driving cars. Reuters reported in December that the companies have held talks and Fields met with Google co-founder Sergey Brin that same month to discuss the status of the talks.

Ford is pursuing its own efforts to develop autonomous driving technology and said earlier this month it would triple the size of its self-driving car test fleet to 30 vehicles.

Ford spokesman Mike Moran said “IBM is a global company with a rich history of innovation and disrupting its business model to deliver results – which is very complementary to what we are doing at Ford. Mark will bring unique insights to IBM, and his experience and new relationships serving on the IBM board will bring equal benefits back to Ford.”

If you are looking for a new, used, or certified pre-owned Ford vehicle, contact Lamarque Ford today!

The Google Car: Google Now Building Its Prototype Self-Driving Cars | Lamarque Ford | New Orleans, Metairie, Kenner

May 28, 2014 By Matthew Hritz Leave a Comment

For the last several years, Google has been investing heavily in new technologies outside the realm of internet search. Housed under the Google X moniker, these projects are dedicated to making major technological advancements and include Google Self-Driving Cars, amongst others. Google’s autonomous car efforts started as an interplay of software and hardware by combining Google Maps with sensors attached to existing vehicles like Toyotas, Audis and Lexuses. However, last Tuesday Google announced their own self-driving car prototype, which bears no recognizable name plate and is designed in-house by the search giant. What does this mean for the future of the company and the industry as a whole?

The Google Car

Back in 2004, the U.S. Department of Defense started a competition for the advancement of vehicle automation and autonomous vehicles, The DARPA Grand Challenge. In short, the competition consisted of American research teams that designed and developed self-driving vehicles and in 2005, Stanford Team won the first place. Sebastian Thrun, then head of the Stanford team, founded Goolge’s special projects division, Google X. Thurn now leads the development of their driverless car initiative, which has started producing their own vehicles.

According to their official blog, Google started the project to “prevent traffic accidents, free up people’s time, and reduce carbon emissions,” and they seem to be on the right path. Their newly introduced prototype is a small, cartoonish looking vehicle, which front resembles a human face and lacks a steering wheel, pedals and mirrors. The absence of these now seemingly obsolete artifacts, points out to Google’s own admission that today’s cars are built around a driver, not a rider. Will this be a trend for others to follow? You bet.

By designing and producing their own vehicles, Google is exploring design elements that will help them achieve their goals. The removal of driver-centric parts is considerably decreasing the weight of the car, translating into better fuel efficiency. Google’s own design has also allowed them to customize the controls of the car, which according to the company consist of two buttons (go and emergency) and a GPS screen.

Aesthetically, Google’s self-driving car seems approachable and welcoming. Its curved lines and small size project a friendly face, as if trying to disguise the fear and uncertainty associated with self-operated machines.

Now that the technology is ready, the biggest challenge ahead will be to convince people that these cars are actually safe.

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Lamarque Ford is proud to be one of the premier dealerships in New Orleans, LA. Located in Kenner, LA, Lamarque Ford is committed to providing you the best customer service and vehicle service for the life of your vehicle. Whether you’re on the market to purchase, finance, or service a new or used Ford vehicle, you’ve come to the right place.

The Case For Self Driving Cars | Lamarque Ford | New Orleans, Metairie, Kenner

April 24, 2014 By Matthew Hritz Leave a Comment

Driverless cars have been the topic of science fiction editorials and movies ever since the first automobiles appeared. As with any new technology, we like to dream up the limits of it and capture our wildest fantasies through pop culture. The 1950’s and 60’s TV and cinema opened the floodgates for futuristic predictions, going as far as describing the psychological effects of rapid technological change (see Futureshock). Today, however, the new generations are used to the fast paced technology industry and can better conceive rapid changes within one’s lifetime. And let’s face it, out of the hundreds of far fetched tech ideas, the driverless car seems to be the most feasible one. Here’s why.

The technology is ready.
Most of the technology used in the development of self driving cars has been used for decades. GPS, radars, cameras, robotic inputs and other sensors have been used by other industries and it’s already been packaged into promising models that show the technical aspects of autonomous cars. Also, car manufacturers are exploring different algorithms that will better address the needs of these vehicles. Most of today challenges lay on the legality of the matter, as states across the U.S. are not ready to deal with the big changes self driving vehicles might bring.

The benefits are enormous.
Having driverless cars on the roads has many positive implications. According to the National Highway Safety Administration, most car crashes are caused by human errors, so taking the humans out of the equation should dramatically reduce the number of accidents. Also, computer controlled cars would allow for cars to drive closer to each other and at higher speeds, so traffic jams would be a thing of the past. In addition, passengers (let’s not call them drivers anymore) that would be otherwise unable to drive could hop on the car and just go. This last benefit could have a great impact in the lives of handicap individuals as it would allow better access to cars.

Social implications.
Just like automobiles changed society as a whole when they were first introduced, self driving cars will have a deep impact in our world. Cars will become more about the things you can do while commuting and about comfort

What are your thoughts on self driving cars? Stay tuned for the next Ronnielogues as we will present the potential negative implications of these wonder machines.

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Lamarque Ford is proud to be one of the premier dealerships in New Orleans, LA. Located in Kenner, LA, Lamarque Ford is committed to providing you the best customer service and vehicle service for the life of your vehicle. Whether you’re on the market to purchase, finance, or service a new or used Ford vehicle, you’ve come to the right place.