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Bill Ford Touts Michigan, Innovation At Mackinac Conference

By Edward Cardenas

MACKINAC ISLAND (CBS Detroit) - While much has changed since Bill Ford's great-grandfather founded Ford Motor Company, he takes pride that the vision and values of the company's namesake are still relevant.

Even as technology is rapidly changing the automotive industry, Ford continues to "make people's lives better today and tomorrow."

Over 100 years ago that was $5 a day wages and cars the general public could afford. Today it is being a green company which is researching new technologies such as autonomous vehicles.

"We are in a time of great change," said Ford, who added the company is studying which future areas to pursue while still serving current customers.

This future area will include an urban mobility model where there will be multiple forms of transportation that will be talking to each other.

He added that Ford and other OEM's can't be afraid of this opportunity.

"We just need to be open-mined enough and nimble enough," Ford said.

Developing this next generation of technologies can be done in Michigan, where Ford said, "We know how to make things ... we can make it here better than anyone else can."

Among the advancements made by Ford's employees include the GT, which was developed in a secret room which only could be accessed with one of five keys that could open the door.

In addition to looking to the future, Ford is proud of the company's close-knit culture.

"We are a big company, but we are still a family company," said Ford.

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