Engineering Ford's global product assault

Hau Thai-Tang details how his global product development teams are changing to keep pace with faster product cycles, greater product diversity, and an avalanche of new technologies. (Hint: They're benchmarking the CIA.)

Hau Thai-Tang sounded upbeat and pumped up, as he recounted his past week spent shaking down a prototype vehicle in the Arizona desert.

“I don't get to do the drive programs as often as I once did,” noted Ford's Vice President of Engineering and Global Product Development. “But it still feels good to get into the vehicles at the critical stage of development when we're focused on getting that last 5% of refinement that separates a really good car from one that puts a huge smile on your face whenever you drive it.”