Ford EV chief leaving automaker amid new restructuring efforts

DETROIT — Ford Motor‘s head of electric vehicles and software is leaving the automaker as it restructures its executives and operations.

Ford on Wednesday said Doug Field — chief EV, digital and design officer — has “elected to leave the company after a transition over the next month.”.

Field’s departure was announced in conjunction with Ford detailing a new executive structure that includes the establishment of a “Product Creation and Industrialization” organization at the company that will be led by Ford veteran and Chief Operating Officer Kumar Galhotra.

Ford said the new structure will integrate Field’s responsibilities with the company’s global Industrial System group to help the automaker hit certain goals under its “Ford+” business plan, such as its target of an 8% adjusted EBIT margin by 2029.

“Today is a very important moment for us at Ford, really for our next chapter. It’s also an important moment for all of us as leaders,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said Wednesday on the call with Field and Galhotra. “We believe this organization change will really help us deliver all the key Ford plus objectives.”

A release announcing the move mentioned a “next chapter” for Field, but the executive declined to disclose specific plans on a Wednesday call with media. Field’s departure comes as Ford is preparing to launch a next generation of electric vehicles that Farley has said are as important as the company’s famed Model T.

Farley and Field on the call with media said the upcoming vehicle — a midsize pickup built on Ford’s “Universal Electric Vehicle,” or UEV, platform that’s due out next year — was in a solid position to continue in the new unit without Field.

“Ford will be changed by taking these products all the way over the finish line. My team is ready, and they’re ready to execute,” Field said Wednesday.

The automaker plans to refresh 80% of its North American portfolio by volume and 70% of its global portfolio by volume by 2029, the company said. That includes the UEV pickup truck, next-generation F-150 and larger F-Series Super Duty lineup.

That turnaround of products also will include new powertrain offerings and software, Ford said Wednesday.

“This is really the heart and soul over the next couple years of our transformation,” Farley said. “This new structure positions us to move a lot faster, reduce complexity inside the company and deliver those great digital experiences and vehicles with greater quality and efficiency.”

By 2030, the company is planning for 90% of its global nameplates to offer electrified powertrains, including hybrids, extended-range electric vehicles and full EVs. It is also aiming to have 90% of its Ford’s vehicles by volume feature updated “electrical architectures, in-house developed user experiences and hardware, and next-generation over-the-air capabilities for continuous improvement in experiences and services.”

Ford said the new technologies will enable “the rapid rollout” of advancements to its digital experience for customers and BlueCruise advanced driver assistance system, with a “scalable path” toward a 2028 Ford goal to achieve eyes-off driving.

“We’re on the eve of the biggest change the company has seen, which is delivering all this new software and hardware and products and services in ’27 through ’29 that will get us not only to that 8% margin, but transform the company,” Farley said. “This is the team that’s going to deliver this.”

There will not be a direct replacement for Field, whom Ford executives praised when the automaker brought him to the company in 2021 after previous leadership positions with U.S. EV leader Tesla and Apple.

Farley, who called Field’s hiring a “watershed moment” at the time, also spoke fondly of the executive on Wednesday. He said Field was an “invaluable partner” who “has built a world-class team at Ford.”

yet, many of Ford’s initiatives involving software and EVs did not perform as expected. Most notably, the automaker reported significant shortfalls in generation of software revenue and in December announced it would write down $19.5 billion related to a pullback in EVs and realignment of business priorities.

While several automakers have announced such impacts due to EVs, Ford’s write-down was much larger than its closest rival General Motors, which has announced roughly $7.6 billion in such charges.

In addition to Field leaving the company, Ford on Wednesday announced a series of other changes to its advanced vehicle development products and European manufacturing.

“With this unified organization, I believe we’re better positioned than ever to deliver high-quality vehicles, advanced digital experiences and profitable services at scale,” Galhotra said. “That’s what this is all about.”