As Ford announced the FordPass, news also of their thinking on a more connected driving experience through physical retailing:

“To bring together all FordPass services are FordHubs which transcend what we currently know as car dealerships. These establishments will feature the auto-maker’s latest innovations, mobility services and become a venue for exclusive events. The first one will be opening this year at the Westfield World Trade Center in New York.”

It’s rather reminiscent of Henry’s original mission to ‘democratize the automobile’, which he most certainly did. Perhaps the spirit of re-invention is back at Ford. Or a timely response to the gathering competitive storm for all the manufacturers, threatening more and new ways for us to think about what owning cars really could mean.

Here’s the full story on Ford’s ideas on ‘smarter ways to move’.