# This Ford Move Signals Self-Driving Car Spin-off IPO To 'Unlock Value' - LOL



## jocker12 (May 11, 2017)

Ford Motor (F) has set up a company for its autonomous driving operations, paving the way to outside investments or a potential spinoff.

Ford announced Tuesday it structured the new Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC to "take on third-party investment." That reinforced one Wall Street firm's view that the carmaker may look for new investors in its autonomous vehicle (AV) program or try to float those initiatives to raise capital.

"Ford has seemingly taken a step out of GM's playbook to try to unlock value from their autonomous efforts," RBC Capital Markets analyst Joseph Spak said in a note.

In May, GM announced a $2.25 billion Softbank investment in its Cruise self-driving unit, which valued that business at $11.5 billion and led to reports of a potential Cruise IPO.

Ford also said it will invest $4 billion in driverless cars over the next five years. That includes the $1 billion it's pouring into its Argo AI unit, as it gears to launch self-driving vehicles in a commercial ride-sharing service by 2021. The automaker says it may license self-driving technology to other companies too.

Spak has previously argued Ford's investment in Argo AI "should likely be marked up." He added Tuesday that a recent funding round valuing self-driving car startup Zoox at $3.2 billion "supports" this view.

GM plans a robotaxi service for 2019, and Alphabet (GOOGL)-owned Waymo has a year-end target.

Ford is testing self-driving technology in cities such as Miami, but is often seen to lag GM and Waymo. The company argues it is focused on proving the business model and profitability of shared AVs first.

Ford stock gained 1% to 10.57 on the stock market today but trades well below the 50-day and 200-day lines. GM rose 0.5%. Alphabet trimmed a post-earnings spike to a 3.9% gain. Fiat Chrysler (FCAU), which supplies Pacific hybrid minivans to Google's Waymo, rallied 1.6%.

Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler report Q2 results on Wednesday. Autonomous vehicles, electric cars and tariffs are among the many issues for automakers. Ford earnings are due after the close. GM and Fiat Chrysler, which just named a new CEO, report before the open.

*Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC*
Ford Autonomous Vehicles will be based in Detroit and hold the carmaker's stake in Argo AI. It also will include Ford's self-driving systems integration, AV research and advanced engineering, transportation-as-a-service network development, and other teams, the company said.

Sherif Marakby will serve as CEO. He is currently Ford vice president of autonomous vehicles and electrification.

The ride-hailing and autonomous driving industry could generate $3 trillion in revenue by 2050, according to a study by Intel (INTC) and research group Strategy Analytics.

https://www.investors.com/news/ford-self-driving-car-company-ipo/


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## iheartuber (Oct 31, 2015)

Good luck with that LOL


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## jocker12 (May 11, 2017)

iheartuber said:


> Good luck with that LOL


Unlock value... hahahaha... It's magic!










"Sherif Marakby will serve as CEO." - "Marakby joined Uber in April 2016, coming from Ford where he worked for 25 years, most recently as Director of Global Electrical/Electronic Systems Engineering. When Marakby's departure from Uber became public in April (2017), he didn't specific future plans or a reason for his departure."

This is a "good" CEO, parasite type of individual, flip flopping from a company to another like a pro. Left Uber in April 2017, when the ship was taking water and all the rats got panicked for their careers. At Uber, he was Vice President of Global Vehicle Programs, during the most toxic times and *part of* the most toxic corporate leadership EVER.


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## uberdriverfornow (Jan 10, 2016)

They are all spinning off the autonomous units so when they finally fail they will be less likely to bring down their other units. lol


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## jocker12 (May 11, 2017)

uberdriverfornow said:


> They are all spinning off the autonomous units so when they finally fail they will be less likely to bring down their other units. lol


When SDCs will be gone, all corporate "visionaries" will say they knew it. It was impossible to happen and that was the reason to split from those failing "disruptions".


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## Stevie The magic Unicorn (Apr 3, 2018)

I'm waiting the big 4s stock to get a little lower before i buy in.

Could be a huge payday when the SDV delusion is revealed to be a dork behind the curtain with a RC.


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## uberdriverfornow (Jan 10, 2016)

Stevie The magic Unicorn said:


> I'm waiting the big 4s stock to get a little lower before i buy in.
> 
> Could be a huge payday when the SDV delusion is revealed to be a dork behind the curtain with a RC.


then you need to short the stock not buy it


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## Stevie The magic Unicorn (Apr 3, 2018)

uberdriverfornow said:


> then you need to short the stock not buy it


No buy into the big 4 (ford, GM, chrystler and Toyota)

Once the SDVs fall apart the down trend in the big 4s stock price is going to rebound when their long term survival is ensured by the death of self driving vehicles.

The death of SDVS is when people will be lining up to buy stock in the traditional auto market.

I'm not going to invest in any SDV tech. That's just a bad idea.


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## uberdriverfornow (Jan 10, 2016)

ok gotcha


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## jocker12 (May 11, 2017)

Stevie The magic Unicorn said:


> No buy into the big 4 (ford, GM, chrystler and Toyota)
> 
> Once the SDVs fall apart the down trend in the big 4s stock price is going to rebound when their long term survival is ensured by the death of self driving vehicles.
> 
> ...


Watch the GM Cruise, Ford Argo AI, Waymo, Aurora and Udacity going for the Self Driving revolution rewards, realizing how willing to disrupt others they've only disrupted themselves... No Intelligence, artificial or not, will save them from the fall.


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## goneubering (Aug 17, 2017)

uberdriverfornow said:


> They are all spinning off the autonomous units so when they finally fail they will be less likely to bring down their other units. lol


I think that's their strategy to protect themselves financially. I bet that's the same reason Google Cars is now being called Waymo. The sdc market is potentially too dangerous for the parent company's brand.


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## jocker12 (May 11, 2017)

goneubering said:


> I think that's their strategy to protect themselves financially. I bet that's the same reason Google Cars is now being called Waymo. The sdc market is potentially too dangerous for the parent company's brand.


This is about a Japanese company willing to use theoretical neuroscience to write self driving cars software.

Read this - "The company, which was founded in 2016, says it raised $18 million in funding this year and aims to complete a fully functional AI vehicle system by late 2020 - when it hopes to hold an initial public offering."

Hahahaha....

Those $18 million are gone.... vaporized into the atmosphere. Very "scientific" move.


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