March 15, 2019—Texas may receive an autonomous vehicle program in Austin. According to TechCrunch, Ford may be moving to Austin in preparations of launching a self-driving taxi and delivery service in 2021, a source familiar with the development told the publication.
According to TechCrunch, a job listing was posted for an autonomous vehicle marketing specialist in Austin by Ford. If Austin is chosen, it will become the fifth city to join the program. The following description was posted for the job position.
"We are seeking exceptional candidates to join our growing Autonomous Vehicle (AV) business team! AVs are an important part of Ford’s future and we’re looking for the best and brightest. The role will require critical thinking, problem solving capabilities, and a “get it done” attitude to help make strategic decisions that will enable Ford to be a leader in autonomy, connectivity, mobility, analytics and customer experience."
After TechCrunch reached out to Ford for a comment, Ford did not confirm or deny that Austin was the next city for the program.
“We are on track to announce the next deployment city in which we plan to expand our self-driving technology and business testing efforts by the end of this year. We will provide more details at the appropriate time,” a Ford spokesperson said in an emailed statement to TechCrunch.