Ford (F) Self-Driving Cars To Be Affordable, Commercially Available By 2025, CEO Says

Until a few years ago, cars that drove themselves seemed like the stuff of science fiction, but with the world's biggest auto manufacturers and technology companies all taking a serious interest, the day doesn't seem far off when we have fully autonomous cars that do not even have a way for their human passengers to take control. How soon such a day will come is anyone's guess, but if you go by what Ford Motor Co. says, at least for itself, it will be in the middle of the next decade. At Ford's headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, CEO Mark Fields told reporters Monday the company will produce, by 2021, a fleet of self-driving taxis for ride-hailing services and by "around mid-decade we'll make vehicles available for people to purchase for themselves." Arguably the most advanced autonomous cars at present are made by Tesla Motors, owned by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, but they are not cheap. Perhaps referring to them, Fields added: " We're dedicated to putting autonomous vehicles on the road for millions of people, not just those who can afford luxury cars."