Ford Motor Co. is boosting production of its biggest, highly lucrative sport utility vehicles for the second time in two years at a U.S. factory already bursting at the seams.

There’s been virtually no increase in public acceptance of self-driving cars even as automakers and tech giants are pouring billions into driverless technology.

Ford Motor Co. is investing $1 billion in two Chicago factories and hiring 500 workers to expand its ability to crank out high-profit sport utility vehicles, including its new Explorer.

Ford Motor Co. is teaming with Walmart Inc., the world’s largest retailer, to lay the groundwork for a driverless grocery delivery service.

The autonomous technology gap between Ford Motor Co. and its rivals from Detroit and Silicon Valley can be measured in years. Yet even a company playing catch-up in the race to turn self-driving technology into high-margin businesses is drawing interest from outside investors, an indicator of just how much money is pouring in.

General Motors Co. and Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo rocked the auto industry last week with self-driving deals that will have each deploying thousands of robo-taxis onto U.S. roads over the next 18 months. Ford Motor Co., meanwhile, will continue biding its time.

Since the Uber accident in March, autonomous car researchers’ eyes have been opening to the need to teach robots how to drive in the dark and avoid people who wander into the road.

Consumer trust in self-driving cars has plummeted after high-profile roadway fatalities, with almost three-quarters of Americans now saying they are too afraid to ride in an autonomous vehicle, according to a new survey.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV and General Motors Co. have trimmer, high-tech trucks coming this year that will fetch top-dollar prices. For now, the automakers are dialing up discounts on outgoing models.

Ford Motor Co. is cleaving an additional $11.5 billion from spending plans and dropping several sedans, including the Fusion and Taurus, from its lineup to more quickly reach an elusive profit target.