Doug Field, Ford Motor Company’s chief electric vehicle, digital and design officer, spoke at the Louisville Assembly Plant and shared Ford’s plans to design and build a “universal electric vehicle” platform on August 11, 2025.
Provided by: Ford
Detroit — ford motorThe company’s head of electric vehicles and software is leaving the company as part of a management and business restructuring.
Ford announced Wednesday that Doug Field, its chief electric vehicle, digital and design officer, has “elected to leave the company following a transition next month.” The release announcing the move mentioned Field’s “next chapter,” but the executive declined to disclose specific plans during a media call Wednesday.
Mr. Field’s departure was announced in conjunction with Ford’s retirement from the company, which announced details of a new management structure that includes the creation of a “product creation and industrialization” organization led by Ford veteran and chief operating officer Kumar Galhotra.
Ford said the new structure will consolidate field responsibilities with the company’s Global Industrial Systems Group and help the automaker meet specific goals under its “Ford+” business plan, including a goal of an 8% adjusted EBIT margin by 2029.
“Today is a really important moment for our next chapter at Ford, and it’s also a pivotal moment for all of us as leaders,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said in a call with Mr. Field and Mr. Galhotra on Wednesday. “We believe this organizational change will truly help Ford Plus achieve all of its key goals.”
Mr. Field’s resignation comes as Ford prepares to launch its next generation of electric vehicles, which Mr. Farley said are as important as the company’s famous Model T.
Farley and Field said on a media call that the next vehicle, a mid-size pickup truck built on Ford’s Universal Electric Vehicle (UEV) platform scheduled to go on sale next year, is in a strong position to continue in the new division without Field.
“Getting these products across the finish line will change Ford, and my team is ready and ready to execute,” Field said Wednesday.
The “heart and soul” of Ford’s transformation
Ford on Wednesday described its new Product Creation and Industrialization division as an “end-to-end organization” aimed at “delivering one of the most intensive product, software and service deployments in Ford’s history.”
The company plans to renew 80% of its North American portfolio by volume and 70% of its global portfolio by volume by 2029, the company said. This includes UEV pickup trucks, the next-generation F-150, and the larger F-Series Super Duty lineup.
Ford said Wednesday that the product improvements also include new powertrain products and software.
“This is really at the heart of our transformation over the next few years,” Farley said. “This new structure will enable us to move faster, reduce internal complexity, and deliver superior digital experiences and vehicles with greater quality and efficiency.”
By 2030, the company plans to offer 90% of the world’s nameplates with electric powertrains, including hybrids, long-range electric vehicles, and fully electric vehicles. The company also aims to equip 90% of its vehicles by volume with the latest “electrical architecture, internally developed user experience and hardware, and next-generation wireless capabilities to continuously improve experiences and services.”
Ford said the new technology will enable “rapid deployment” of advances in customer digital experiences and BlueCruise advanced driver assistance systems, enabling a “scalable path” toward Ford’s 2028 goal of enabling eye-off driving.
“We’re on the eve of the biggest change the company has seen. From 2027 to 2029, delivering all of this new software, hardware, products and services will not only achieve 8% margins, but will transform the company,” Farley said. “This team will make this happen.”
Leadership renewal
There will be no direct successor to Mr. Field. Ford executives praised Field, who held a leadership position at the U.S. EV leader, when the automaker brought him to the company in 2021. tesla and apple.
Farley, who at the time called Field’s hiring “a turning point,” spoke fondly of the executive Wednesday. He said Field was an “invaluable partner” who had “built a world-class team at Ford.”
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But many of Ford’s software and EV efforts haven’t panned out as expected. Most notably, the automaker reported a significant shortfall in software revenue and announced in December a $19.5 billion writedown related to the EV rollback and realignment of business priorities.
Several automakers have announced such impacts from EVs, but Ford’s writedown was much larger than its closest rival. general motors, The company announced approximately $7.6 billion in such costs.
In addition to Mr. Field’s departure, Ford on Wednesday announced a series of changes to its advanced vehicle development products and manufacturing in Europe.
“With this combined organization, we believe we are better positioned than ever to deliver high-quality vehicles, advanced digital experiences, and profitable services at scale,” Galhotra said. That’s it.
