CARY, N.C. -

The future of making cars? Don't blink. It's here. 

Two of the Big 3 made significant vehicle technology splashes on Friday, with Ford launching a Ford Smart Mobility subsidiary and General Motors purchasing Cruise Automation, a developer of autonomous vehicle technology.

GM recently rolled out an Autonomous Vehicle Development Team, of which San Francisco-based Cruise will be a part. The acquisition of Cruise, which officials said will stay in San Francisco, will likely close next quarter upon meeting customary closing conditions.

The automaker said the move helps it “further accelerate GM’s development of autonomous vehicle technology.”

Commenting in its news release, GM president Dan Ammann said: “Fully autonomous vehicles can bring our customers enormous benefits in terms of greater convenience, lower cost and improved safety for their daily mobility needs.”

Mark Reuss, the automaker’s executive vice president of Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain, said: “Cruise provides our company with a unique technology advantage that is unmatched in our industry. We intend to invest significantly to further grow the talent base and capabilities already established by the Cruise team.”

This move follows three related steps by General Motors in 2016. GM has partnered with Lyft, launched a personal mobility brand for car-sharing fleets called Maven and rolled out the aforementioned autonomous vehicle development division, the company said.

As for Cruise, it launched in 2013 and quickly started buidling and testing autonomous vehicle technology, GM said. 

“GM's commitment to autonomous vehicles is inspiring, deliberate, and completely in line with our vision to make transportation safer and more accessible,” said Cruse Automomation co-founder Kyle Vogt. “We are excited to be partnering with GM and believe this is a ground-breaking and necessary step toward rapidly commercializing autonomous vehicle technology.” 

Kelley Blue Book analyst Akshay Anand said in comments provided to the media by parent Cox Automotive that this move illustrates the emphasis GM — and its rivals, for that matter — are putting on autonomous driving.

“The Cruise acquisition shows that GM is serious about autonomous driving, as is almost every other auto manufacturer,” Anand said. “Like it or not, autonomous cars are coming, and coming fast.”

That’s something the industry would be wise to take to heart. Those who don’t adapt could get left out.

“The race to produce a fully autonomous car has accelerated to a breakneck pace. Every automaker is jockeying for position because of the massive opportunity this new technology represents,” said KBB senior analyst Karl Brauer, in the same commentary. “The opposite is also true — a car company that falls behind in this area could end up being the Nokia of the auto industry.”

This “jockeying for position” is particularly evident in the fact that just across town, Ford was making a related (albeit, different — its action was beyond automation) move in creating Ford Smart Mobility.

The subsidiary will operate in both Dearborn, Mich. and Palo Alto, Calif. It will focus on the automaker’s mobility services efforts.  

In essence, Ford said the company is striving to be “both an auto and a mobility company.” The new subsidiary gives the automaker a dedicated division to focus solely on those endeavors, while the parent company takes care of the day-to-day business of building cars, says Autotrader senior analyst Michelle Krebs in comments also provided by Cox Automotive.

“In addition to tapping in to new revenue sources, Ford is establishing a framework for all work related to future mobility that allows the rest of the company to focus intently on the day-to-day core business of vehicle manufacturing,” Krebs said.

“Past efforts by Ford to transform to a mobility company failed because the company took its eye of its core business,” she added. “Yet, the work that goes on within the new mobility subsidiary can feed back into the core business when appropriate if Ford does this right.”

In its news release, Ford said the subsidiary will “compete like a startup company” and develop mobility services  “on its own.” Ford Smart Mobility will work with start-ups and technology companies, as well, while also building upon the various related efforts already in the works at Ford.

“Working with Ford’s existing product development, research and advanced engineering, marketing and data analytics teams – which will remain unchanged – the subsidiary will develop commercially ready mobility services and invest in promising mobility-related ventures,” the company said in its release.

Ford Smart Mobility will tackle connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, and the customer experience, as well as data and analytics.

Leading the subsidiary will be Jim Hackett, who is stepping down from his post on Ford’s board of directors to become Ford Smart Mobility chairman.

“Ford Smart Mobility and expanding into mobility services are significant growth opportunities,” said Ford president and chief executive officer Mark Fields. “Our plan is to quickly become part of the growing transportation services market, which already accounts for $5.4 trillion in annual revenue. Jim Hackett is the right visionary leader — with extensive experience in business development and design — to take us into the mobility services business in the future.”

Sharing additional insight in his comments provided by Cox Auto, Brauer said: “The challenge for Mark Fields and Ford will be to ensure autonomy from the core business while maintaining sufficient information. This potential to expand Ford Motor Company's understanding of this dynamic space is substantial.

“Mark says the new division will be separate but connected, with a specific governance between the core company and this subsidiary. Ideally the knowledge will stream both directions, with Ford benefiting as much or more from Ford Mobility LLC as it benefits from the mothership,” he added.