Ford pivots from EV plans to heavy-duty trucks at Canada facility

By Nora Eckert and Nathan Gomes

DETROIT (Reuters) – Ford Motor (NYSE: F) on Thursday outlined plans to use a Canadian plant it had earmarked for a future electric vehicle to instead build larger, gasoline-powered versions of its flagship F-Series pickup truck.

Ford in April had already delayed the launch of the planned three-row electric SUVs at its Oakville Assembly facility from 2025 to 2027, citing slower than expected growth in EV demand. It said on Thursday it remained committed to those EVs and that timeline but did not say where they would now be built.

The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker plans to add capacity for 100,000 F-Series Super Duty trucks at the facility, including the ability to use what the company called “future multi-energy technology.”

“Super Duty is a vital tool for businesses and people around the world and, even with our Kentucky Truck Plant and Ohio Assembly Plant running flat out, we can’t meet the demand,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said in a statement. “At the same time, we look forward to introducing three-row electric utility vehicles.”

Ford has increasingly leaned into production of hybrid vehicles to win over consumers who aren’t ready to go fully electric. The automaker aims to quadruple hybrid production over the next few years.

These lucrative F-150 heavy-duty trucks, which are especially popular for the automaker’s commercial business, are also produced at assembly plants in Kentucky and Ohio.

The company plans to invest about $3 billion to expand Super Duty production, including $2.3 billion to install assembly and integrated stamping operations at the Oakville Assembly Complex.