Ford may be cautious with its autonomous driving programme but its chairman has rejected claims it was falling behind its peers.

"I don't agree," Bill Ford told Reuters at an auto tech conference in Tel Aviv on Tuesday when asked about losing market share.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

"Our self-driving system, Argo, is incredibly competitive. On the technology side, we are right up there with the very best in terms of time of development but we want to take great care before we let people in these vehicles."

In Israel for the first time to launch an innovation centre, Ford said the timing for marketing self-driving cars was unclear given that safety issues need to be resolved.

"We are dealing with people's lives. We have to be absolutely sure these are ready for prime time in all conditions," he told the EcoMotion conference.

The carmaker is working with several Israeli self-driving technology firms like Intel unit Mobileye.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

Ford told Reuters that ultimately, self-driving cars would come down to trust by customers.

"It's unknown when the perception gets good enough that it is going to be ready for mass consumer adoption and that's the part I want to make sure we are incredibly comfortable with before we launch it," Ford said.

Ford bought Argo AI, a Pittsburgh-based self-driving startup in 2017, and since has looked at providing autonomous vehicle services to multiple partners, which in turn would offer them to their customers under their own brand names.

But with spiraling development costs for autonomous cars in recent years, the company and other carmakers have sought alliances and outside investors, Reuters noted. 

Just Auto Excellence Awards - The Benefits of Entering

Gain the recognition you deserve! The Just Auto Excellence Awards celebrate innovation, leadership, and impact. By entering, you showcase your achievements, elevate your industry profile, and position yourself among top leaders driving automotive industry advancements. Don’t miss your chance to stand out—submit your entry today!

Nominate Now