Yes, Ford said it will spend $1 billion at its Michigan Assembly plant near Detroit and at a nearby engine plant to start producing an all-new Ranger midsize pickup truck and all-new Bronco SUV in 2020. The company had signaled its basic intentions in this regard even before Donald Trump began campaigning on the issue of Ford outsourcing its small-car production to Mexico. Potentially more significant is the fact that Ford plans to invest $200 million for an "advanced data center to support the company's expansion to an auto and mobility company," as Ford put it in a news release. But Ford's decision to shell out the extra $200 million on another Michigan data center also is another signal that the traditional auto industry continues to fight with Silicon Valley for control of the wheel that will drive the auto industry of the future. And what they know best is making vehicles capable of supporting an overlay of self-driving wizardry created by the tech titans of California.

Source: Forbes March 28, 2017 20:58 UTC