The future of electric mobility at Ford has hit an unexpected snag, or perhaps, a profitable U-turn. In a move that clearly favors immediate profitability over ambitious electrification goals, Ford is dramatically ramping up production of its top-selling, internal combustion F-150 and F-Series Super Duty trucks. To make this happen, the company is effectively putting its electric dreams on hold, suspending assembly of the F-150 Lightning and reassigning its dedicated EV workforce.
According to a company statement, Ford plans to boost F-Series and Super Duty production by more than 50,000 units in 2026. This aggressive push is necessary, as CEO James Farley explained during a financial results conference call, “to create up to 1,000 new jobs to ramp up F-Series production, recapture lost volume, and meet strong customer demand”.
But this sudden surge of conventional truck enthusiasm isn’t purely market-driven, it’s also a scramble to cover a major financial wound. A fire at a supplier’s facility, specifically, the Novelis aluminum plant in Oswego back in September, is set to cost Ford a staggering $2 billion in adjusted fourth-quarter earnings for 2025. When facing a loss of that magnitude, the most logical response, apparently, is to produce more of the things that still guarantee maximum profit, the conventional and hybrid F-Series trucks.
In a press release, Ford confirmed that F-150 Lightning assembly at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center will remain suspended. Why? Because the company is prioritizing “gas and hybrid F-Series trucks, which are more profitable for Ford and use less aluminum”. The electric F-150 is either a financial drain or an aluminum hog, or both.
To facilitate this pivot back to gasoline glory, all hourly employees from the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, will be conveniently transferred to the Dearborn Truck Plant to immediately begin boosting production of the regular F-150 trucks.
This is not the first time Ford’s EV division has taken a public beating in the name of cost-cutting. The company already suspended Lightning production for seven weeks at the end of 2024.
