Ford Motor Co (NYSE:F) is turning a major page in its history. For the first time since the Eisenhower era, the company is moving its headquarters—an effort designed not only to modernize its workspace but also to appeal to the tech and AI experts reshaping the auto industry.
Ford announced that the new Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, spans 2.1 million square feet, doubling the size of the company’s longtime home known as “The Glass House.” The move is just three miles away, but Ford leaders say the change reflects a much bigger shift in how the company wants to operate and who it hopes to attract.
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“Ford wants a new headquarters building that reflects who they think they are and who they want to be going forward,” University of Michigan business professor Erik Gordon told the Associated Press. “They don’t want to viewed as the car company from yesterday. They want to be viewed as a car company for tomorrow.”
Gordon added that Ford needs to attract and compete for new kinds of employees, like software engineers and AI specialists, and this new building will set the mood for them.
One of the standout features of the new HQ is a dramatic vehicle showroom. “Some of us joke that it feels like the James Bond villain’s lair,” Jennifer Kolstad, Ford Land’s global design and brand director, told AP. The space includes floor turntables, massive LED displays, and adaptable lighting designed to mimic natural conditions anywhere in the world.
According to Kolstad, the showroom isn’t just for display. It plays a central role in product development, giving executives and design teams a shared place to evaluate and make decisions on future vehicles.
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The building brings together design and engineering teams that were previously spread out. Ford says that the six identical studios—organized around customer themes like Build, Thrill, and Adventure—are fully equipped for clay modeling, milling, and high-tech prototyping. Large freight elevators and thick concrete floors allow employees to move full-size vehicles between work areas.
