NEW YORK (AP) — Ford Motor Co. has hired a former executive from Apple and Tesla to be the company's head of advanced technology and new embedded systems, a critical post as the auto industry moves to adopt vehicles powered by electricity and guided by computers.

Before Doug Field joined Ford, he was a vice president of special projects at Apple and a engineer at Tesla. Apple has been rumored to be working on its own car project for some time, but the details have been kept under tight wraps. Field also worked on Tesla's Model 3 vehicle.

Field will be in charge of building out passenger systems like navigation, driver-assist technology, connected systems and cybersecurity across all of Ford's products. He will also be in charge of making sure Ford products work well with other pieces of technology, such as a smartphone or watch.

"I'm thrilled to be joining Ford as it embraces a transition to a new, complex and fascinating period in the auto industry," Field said in a statement. "It will be a privilege to help Ford deliver a new generation of experiences built on the shift to electrification, software and digital experiences, and autonomy."