1/6/2021 Further with Ford - 2021 Trends | Ford Motor Company

No one saw 2020 coming the way it did…

So what does it all mean for 2021 and beyond?

As a professional futurist, I’ve long embraced the mantra that “No one can predict the future, but that doesn’t mean we

can’t prepare for it.” Yet even the most prepared organizations couldn’t have anticipated the pace and fury of change that
unfolded over the course of 2020. Now, as we barrel into 2021 and look forward to a post-pandemic world, it’s clear that the
changes have changed us. We might be nostalgic for “normal times,” but we are not who we were. We can look back – but

we can’t go back.

In this year’s Further with Ford trends report, our ninth annual edition, we examine how society is adapting – how
consumers, communities and businesses alike are rewriting the rules of living, working, buying, traveling and more. We’re
also reflecting on past trends as a measure of how far we’ve come, and where we hope to go.

Stay safe, stay strong – and enjoy.

Sheryl Connelly

Chief Futurist

- Ford Motor Company

The Company You Minding The Gap Good Buy Traffic Detour
Keep

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Pressure Points

It is a wonder that the world did not crack beneath the

weight of 2020. A global pandemic with hospitals stretched
to capacity. Economic fallout and a volatile stock market.
Political polarization and social turmoil. Wildfires from

Australia to California. Yet for all the acknowledgements of

stress and feelings of being overwhelmed, people have
proven remarkably resilient – and have found innovative,
inspiring ways to cope and connect.

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Time To Escape?
The pandemic has ripped through our perceptions of time –

“What day is it?” is common refrain, with each day, week

and month blurring into the next. We simultaneously have
too much time, and not enough. But one thing is largely true
across the globe – whether we’re bored and stir-crazy,
exhausted from being stretched too thin or feeling a sense

of unease, we’re all looking for inventive new ways to

escape the ordinary.

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The Company You Keep

The pandemic – and the ensuing isolation – has put a

spotlight on our need for companionship and reshaped our

sense of family: Who is in our bubble? How close must we
be to those we love? And with whom and how do we
combat loneliness? In these isolated times, technology is

increasingly the glue for connectivity, and as work-from-

home has become the new norm for many, we’ve allowed
our colleagues into our homes and we’ve peered into theirs
– giving new weight to the meaning of work-life balance.

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Minding The Gap

Worldwide, the spotlight on inequality and inequity has

intensified. It has been three years since we wrote about the
pressing inequity gaps across the globe, and today, even
with rising awareness and social justice activism, those
gaps still loom large – exacerbated by the pandemic, which

has had a disproportionate impact on low-income

communities, ethnic minorities and women. As consumers
become more aware of the divide, brands are stepping up
as activists and entrepreneurs – experimenting with new
ways to push for equity in employment, education and
everyday well-being.

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Good Buy

COVID has ushered in countless changes, but none more

dramatic than the manner in which we shop. Whether it is
purchasing goods in bulk or buying online, how we buy –
and what we seek to buy – has transformed. As we bid
farewell to the old rules of retail and service, companies big
and small are adapting at blazing speed. And while there is
some nostalgia for the old ways of shopping, many

consumers are embracing and enjoying the new normal.

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Traffic Detour
The pandemic may have you feeling stuck, but we are not
at a standstill – personal transportation is flourishing as

consumers seek out safer modes of travel. Bike sales have

soared. Cities have shut down streets to make space for
cyclists and walkers. And car sales have boomed as people
seek security in knowing they can control their environment.
Amid these changes, logistics have become trendy – the
work that was once behind the scenes is now in full view as
the world collectively puzzles over the operational issues
that go with social distancing, safe transportation, supply
chain management, vaccine distribution and more.

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Sustaining Sustainability

As the world continues to struggle with a global health

crisis, many have lost sight of the looming health crisis for
our planet. In the early days of the pandemic, air quality
emerged as a possible silver lining to the worldwide
lockdown – but that optimism quickly diminished as the
world retreated to plastics and other disposables. For all
the talk of commitment to sustainability in recent years,

society’s current vulnerabilities have made it clear that

being sustainable and staying sustainable are not always in
lockstep.

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Curious about past trends?

Explore our previous trend books below.

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2019 2018 2017 2016

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