In ten years, all auto makers will either be tech companies, or they will be out of business. I'm impressed that GM and Ford have the foresight to understand this.
Giving X people mac books and asking them to write a "Clone of X Tech Startup" is not that hard, just potentially time consuming.
Now, Ford may USE technology to improve their manufacturing and core product (a transportation device). They may become an ultra high-tech manufacturer (if they aren't already)..., but they will not magically become Google or Apple.
It's also worth noting that Apple makes some impressively complex (and profitable!) hardware.
Think about how much of the machinery (and profits) of the car business would get eaten. No more annual model updates, no more advertising, much smaller luxury market and so on.
In that world it makes sense to try and move up the stack to own your own destiny and capture profits.
It's nice. Feel free to hit me up if you have any questions I could answer.
How?
It's so cool that transportation is the zeitgeist these days. It's a fascinating technological and societal issue and Michigan and Detroit could be a huge leader. Lots of strong, eager engineering talent in the Midwest (UIllinois,UMich,Purdue, etc.). No reason it couldn't be side-by-side with silicon valley as the leading tech sector in the world.
Silicon valley created the computer. Detroit invented the car. Put them together you have magic. The virtual and physical machine.
New engines are much more powerful and efficient than before as well. I'm sure improvements have been made to the suspension like using inner wheel braking for FWD cars although I'll admit I dont know too much about this. And of course the biggest improvement is probably safety..