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The great-grandson of Henry Ford called on the auto industry and public institutions to address ethical issues emerging in a world where robot vehicles will make life-and-death decisions in roadway crashes — and to do it soon.

Ford Motor Co. posted a 44% surge in second-quarter profit, exceeding analysts' estimates thanks to consumers paying big money for fully loaded versions of the new aluminum-body150 pickup.

It was almost midnight when Walter Price eased his 18-wheeler into the right lane on Interstate 75 near Atlanta. As he began to bank onto the exit ramp he’d been taking for the past 10 years, Price had no idea he was entering America’s most dangerous hot zone for truck drivers.

Ford Motor Co. Chief Executive Officer Mark Fields said that an automaker probably will introduce a self-driving vehicle within half a decade, but it won’t be his company, which is focusing on less expensive features that assist in driving.

When Ford Motor Co. unleashes an ad blitz for its new F-150 during college football bowl games Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, it will emphasize how much the aluminum-bodied pickup can haul and tow. There will be no mention of fuel-economy gains that Ford says are one of the truck’s key attributes.