Engineering FORD'S FUTURE

Product platform and operations chief Hau Thai-Tang on navigating the microchip shortage, compact-unibody trucks, EV and AV challenges, and driving engineering efficiencies amid the lockdown.

Security at Ford's Dearborn Proving Ground was tight on a frigid January day when we arrived for SAE's interview with Hau Thai-Tang. The gate guards were armed with infrared thermometers, and signs everywhere demanded masks be worn. Not even Bill Ford was permitted on site without a temperature check and PPE, we were told.

The reasonable and safe ground rules for our wide-ranging conversation with Ford's chief product platform and operations officer included sitting 10 feet apart in an empty hall adjacent to the test track. We elevated our voices to cut through the mask muffling. A striking blue Mustang Mach-E provided a backdrop for talking electrification strategy. It also gave context for sharing his view of the other pandemic: the industry's worsening microchip shortage.