Ford launches Pro AI for multibillion-dollar commercial business

DETROIT — Ford Motor is launching a new artificial intelligence system for its Pro commercial vehicle business as it seeks to increase the unit’s profits and software revenue.

The Detroit automaker said Tuesday that its new “Ford Pro AI” can monitor and analyze more than 1 billion daily data points from connected commercial vehicles, from seat belt use to vehicle health, route optimization and fuel consumption.

According to Ford, the goal is to equip its 840,000 paid business subscribers with tools that will allow them to more easily analyze their business and operations, increasing efficiency and profits and reducing vehicle downtime. The automaker said it increased its Pro subscriber base by 30% last year.

“Helping them maximize their vehicles’ uptime, increase productivity and reduce costs is not just good business, it’s important for all of us,” Kevin Dunbar, general manager of Ford Pro Intelligence, said at a media briefing. “Our team is helping build the future of fleet operations.”

Ford Pro’s fleet business includes sales to commercial, government and rental customers, as well as its Super Duty large truck business.

Ford CEO Jim Farley said last month that diversifying Pro’s revenue (especially in software) was a crucial growth area for the company. Ford’s software and physical services, such as mobile service and maintenance, are “rapidly approaching” a 20% target for Pro’s earnings, he said.

The new AI offering will be included with Ford’s telematics subscribers, helping the company grow and diversify its revenue. Ford Pro reported $66 billion in revenue and $6.8 billion in earnings last year, with a profit margin of 10.3%.

The system launched as an instant, read-only format, but Ford will continue to expand its capabilities to meet customers’ needs, Dunbar said. Developed based on Pro AI Google According to Ford, the cloud uses the automaker’s private data.