Ford Shifts Oakville Plant Plans To F-Series Super Duty Production Amid EV Market Slowdown

Departing its earlier plans to transform the Oakville Assembly plant into an electric vehicle (EV) production hub, Ford announced to repurpose its plant in Ontario, Canada for the production of F-Series Super Duty trucks starting in 2026. 

In response to increasing demand for Ford’s heavy-duty trucks and slower-than-anticipated growth in the EV market. Ford CEO Jim Farley stated in a press release, “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.”

Under the new plan, Ford will invest around $3 billion to expand Super Duty production with $2.3 billion allocated to install assembly and integrated stamping operations at the Oakville plant that includes adding capacity up to 100,000 additional units annually and supporting about 1,800 jobs at the plant, 400 more than initially projected for EV production.

Ford’s EV Strategy Hurdles

Ford, which reported losses of nearly $4.7 billion in its EV business in 2023 and projects losses up to $5.5 billion this year, has been reevaluating its EV strategy.

Despite this shift, Ford maintains its devotion to EVs. The company still plans to introduce three-row utility EVs, although the timeline has been pushed back from 2025 to 2027. The location for producing these EVs remains uncertain following the Oakville plant’s repurposing.

With Ford’s decision underlining the complex balance between meeting current market demands and investing in EVs, the company’s electrification plans to seek profitability will be further reflected through its future efforts to bolster EV sales, especially after delivering 23,957 EVs with a 61% year-over-year increase for Q2 2024. 

Read More: Ford Gets Second Place in U.S. EV Market With Strong Q2 Sales

As of now, further insight into the financial implications of these strategic decisions from Ford will be determined in the coming months. Ford is scheduled to release their Q2 earnings result on July 24. 

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