While it is now widely read by many people in the industry, as well as the public, the Ford Trend Report is pretty new. Ford’s 2019 Trend Report is only the seventh release of this report. The initial Ford Trend Report was published in 2012, and since then, it has become an annual publication. As the name implies, Ford’s 2019 Trend Report is an analysis of concerns for the future.
When people ask, “what does Ford’s Trend Report say?”, they can expect answers that look at some of the long-term social, political, and technological forces that play a role in people’s lives. But why is a car company coming up with such a comprehensive report? The reason is simple; everything is connected, and anything that affects the automotive industry also affects the economy and people’s personal lives.
If you’ve been asking, “what are the highlights of Ford’s 2019 Trend Report?”, we’re here to go over the most important points.
One of the big things to keep in mind is that the last few years have been years of transition, and 2019 was no exception in this regard. Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom have all been looking at some big changes, politically, economically, and even scientifically. The Ford Trend Report has been noting those changes.
One thing the Ford Trend Report highlights is the continuing growth of major cities. We already see this in the “Golden Horseshoe,” as the Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area continues to expand into one massive urban zone. Rural areas continue to lose their populations as younger residents flock to the cities. Furthermore, immigrants tend to choose already urbanized areas, rather than small towns.
As a result of these population shifts, cities are facing inevitable growth, and this will affect everything from housing to the manageability of traffic. Ford’s 2019 Trend Report looks at city planning as a major focus. Ford’s projects, such as the City of Tomorrow Initiative, analyze how cities in the future can handle larger populations, denser traffic, and more demands on limited space and resources.
Change is also coming where self-driving cars are concerned. It’s not just technology innovations; it’s about people’s perception of the tech. As researchers do more testing, and more news stories emerge about the potential of autonomous vehicles, people are shifting their attitudes. Fewer people are skeptical about or reluctant to try a car they won’t have to drive themselves. One of the key areas where self-driving cars are gaining more appeal is in personal safety.
| A survey found that 67% of adults would prefer a self-driving car over being driven by a stranger. |
On the heels of news stories about people being robbed, sexually assaulted, and even killed by ride-share drivers, the idea of hopping into a car with a total stranger is once again coming under scrutiny. After years of people being advised not to hitchhike and accept rides from strangers, ride-sharing is less appealing, and more people see the benefits of a self-driving car.
The Ford Trend Report also indicates that there’s a renewed—and unsurprising—interest in environmentalism and fighting the effects of climate change. As extreme weather conditions ravage parts of the world with forest fires, increased flooding, and the melting of the polar caps, millennials, in particular, show great concern about the world they are set to inherit and the troubling state it’s already in.
Sustainable practices are a growing concern, and of course, factors like car emissions play an important role in creating a more environmentally conscious society. Ford is working towards more green efforts, such as working on new lines of fully electric Ford vehicles to help reduce CO2 gases that negatively impact the environment.
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