DETROIT — Ford Motor’s head of electric vehicles and software is leaving the company as the automaker digs into a broader executive and operational reshuffle.
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.” The release framed it as a “next chapter” for Field, but on a media call Wednesday he didn’t spell out what’s next. That part hung in the air a bit, like everyone’s waiting for the details that weren’t there.
Field’s departure was announced alongside a new executive structure that adds a “Product Creation and Industrialization” organization inside Ford. Ford said Chief Operating Officer Kumar Galhotra will lead the unit, and that it’s designed to combine Field’s responsibilities with the company’s global Industrial System group. The pitch is pretty clear: build a tighter pipeline to hit goals under Ford’s “Ford+” business plan — including its target of an 8% adjusted EBIT margin by 2029.
On the call, Ford CEO Jim Farley sounded both confident and ceremonial about the timing. “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,” Farley said, while Field and Galhotra listened. “We believe this organization change will really help us deliver all the key Ford plus objectives.”
Field’s exit also lands right when Ford is preparing to roll out a new generation of electric vehicles. Farley has described these next EVs as crucial in the way the Model T once was. The upcoming vehicle in the middle of the conversation: a midsize pickup built on Ford’s “Universal Electric Vehicle,” or UEV, platform, due out next year. Farley and Field both indicated the UEV vehicle was in “solid” shape to keep moving forward in the new unit — even 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. That’s a line that carries a lot of weight in a restructuring moment. Not everyone gets that kind of calm when the person steering major software-and-EV efforts is stepping away.
Ford described the new Product Creation and Industrialization unit as an “end-to-end organization” aiming to deliver “one of the most intensive product, software, and services rollouts in Ford’s history.” The company plans to refresh 80% of its North American portfolio by volume and 70% of its global portfolio by volume by 2029, according to Ford. The list includes the UEV pickup truck, next-generation F-150, and larger F-Series Super Duty models. It also comes with new powertrain offerings and software, Ford said.
Farley called the change “the heart and soul over the next couple years of our transformation,” adding that it should help Ford move faster, reduce internal complexity, and deliver digital experiences and vehicles with better quality and efficiency. By 2030, Ford is planning for 90% of global nameplates to offer electrified powertrains — hybrids, extended-range electric vehicles, and full EVs. The company also wants 90% of vehicles by volume to 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.”
There’s a lot riding on software execution, and Ford’s own recent history isn’t exactly quiet about that. Missteps showed up in software revenue generation, and Ford in December announced it would write down $19.5 billion tied to a pullback in EVs and a realignment of business priorities. While other automakers have reported similar impacts due to EVs, Misryoum newsroom reporting indicates Ford’s write-down was much larger than its closest rival, General Motors, which has announced roughly $7.6 billion in such charges.
Still, leadership is changing in more than one place. Ford said there will be no direct replacement for Field. Executives have praised him for bringing in a world-class team since Ford hired him in 2021 after prior leadership roles with U.S. EV leader Tesla and Apple. On Wednesday, Farley called Field an “invaluable partner” who “has built a world-class team at Ford.”
And there’s more: Ford on Wednesday also announced changes to advanced vehicle development products and European manufacturing. Galhotra, for his part, framed it all as a unifying move. “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,” he said.
Outside the newsroom, the air in Detroit can get sharp in a way you notice even through a window—metallic and cold, like the city’s always running on something. Inside Ford’s plans, though, the emphasis is on speed: deliver the software and hardware and products and services in ‘27 through ‘29, get to that 8% margin, and—if the strategy lands—transform the company. Farley ended on that note, but it still feels like the hardest part is the execution timing itself. The next month transition for Field could become one of those small moments people later point to, even if nobody knew it would matter.
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