Ford Invests $500 Million For Research And Development In Canada

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Ford has announced they are expanding its Canadian research and development presence with an additional $500 million investment, adding more than 400 software and hardware engineers and plans to establish a new Ottawa Research and Engineering Centre.

This is in addition to the $700 million investment they announced in November to transform their Windsor Operations into a world-class powertrain facility and to upgrade Oakville Assembly Complex.

“Connectivity is the critical component to the future of mobility,” said Raj Nair, Ford executive vice president, global product development and chief technical officer. “Whether it’s providing information to help reduce congestion in cities, allowing vehicles and infrastructure to communicate to keep us safer on the road or simply knowing all your personal settings when you enter a self-driving vehicle, connectivity is the key. By more than doubling our connectivity talent and establishing a research centre, we can innovate faster and deliver more software and services to exceed our customer’s expectations.”

The new Ottawa Research and Engineering Centre in Canada will focus on research and development across infotainment, in-vehicle modems, gateway modules, driver-assist features and autonomous vehicles. Additional facilities will be located in Waterloo and Oakville as well as Cary, North Carolina and Sunrise, Florida. This will be Ford’s first centre focused on connectivity research and advanced technology in Canada, and it will serve global connectivity needs for Ford.

Part of the R&D investment relates to research at Ford’s Windsor and Oakville Operations where Ford will be increasing its sustainability and fuel efficiency research capacity.

Advancing powertrain technologies, alternative fuels and lightweighting development at Windsor’s Powertrain Engineering Research and Development Centre (PERDC), as well as furthering Ford’s patented research focused on capturing industrial emissions and converting them to useable fuel at the Fumes-to-Fuel Research Development Centre in the Oakville Assembly Complex, will be supported.

In the past six months, Ford has announced C$1.2 billion in Canadian investments, including a $700 million investment in its manufacturing facilities.

Ford is transforming its Windsor Operations into a world-class engine facility and adding an all-new global engine program, supporting its future in Ford’s global powertrain operations.

The Oakville Assembly Complex will continue to upgrade its facilities to support the production of one of Ford’s most popular crossover utilities, the Ford Edge, which is exported from Canada to more than 100 countries.