DETROIT—Ford Motor Co. instituted a new product development process for the Mustang Mach-E prioritizing speed and collaboration among engineers and designers.
One of the teams behind the car also is unique for its gender diversity.
Of the roughly 75 employees who worked on the electric crossover's advanced driver-assist technology—including a new hands-free system—about one-third were women, a rarity in the male-dominated field. Ford says about 25 percent of its employees worldwide are women, but that figure is considerably lower when it comes to engineering.
The confluence of female minds that helped shape the Mach-E wasn't intentional, the workers say, but reflects Ford's efforts to become more inclusive as it attempts to hire more tech-minded talent.
"We're an incredibly well- represented group," Annette Liyana, 37, who manages the overall user experience for Ford's active drive-assist system, told Automotive News. "It's an exciting time to be at Ford. I know the team really stretched and reached some limits none of us thought we'd be approaching."