William Clay Ford Jr. , executive director of Ford Motor Company. Photo: Screenshot.

CTech – Ford Motor Company executive chairman Bill Ford expects the company’s new research center in Tel Aviv to expand quickly, Ford said in an interview with Calcalist on Wednesday. The center was inaugurated the same day. “More than just buying companies, we want to partner with companies,” Ford said.

The new center will serve as a research hub in conjunction with Ford’s global research and advanced engineering team, the company said in a statement. The center will also work to identify technologies and local startup companies in the fields of connectivity, sensors, automated systems research, in-vehicle monitoring, and cybersecurity, and will include a vehicle lab to support proof of concept efforts and artificial intelligence work.