Ford is reversing course on plans to manufacture electric vehicles (EVs) at a major plant and instead will produce gas-powered, heavy-duty pickup trucks at the facility, Reuters reported Thursday.
The company initially planned to build three-row electric SUVs at its facility in Oakville, Canada, between 2025 and 2027, but the plant will now add capacity to produce 100,000 F-Series Super Duty trucks at the plant, according to Reuters. Ford said that it is still committed to producing those EVs on that timeline, though it is unclear which of its plants will handle that production.
Ford lost more than $4.5 billion on its EV product lines in 2023, and the American auto giant is expecting to lose more than $5 billion on them this year, according to Reuters. The company has previously stated that it will launch its next-generation EVs “only when they can be profitable.” (RELATED: Top Automaker Takes $1.3 Billion Dollar Bath On Key EV Line)
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“This has nothing to do with EVs,” a Ford spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. It’s about getting more Super Duty trucks to more customers more quickly. Even with plants in Kentucky and Ohio that already make Super Duty running flat-out, the wait for the industry’s most popular work truck is too long for customers and for Ford.”
“In the process, we’re putting colleagues at Oakville back to work sooner after recently discontinuing the vehicle they used to build,” the spokesperson added. “There’s been no change in timing of the three-row electric SUV that had been planned for Oakville, only where it will be made. Oakville will also build an electrified Super Duty when it’s introduced with the next version of that vehicle.”
The Super Duty trucks that Ford will produce at the Oakville plant will be capable of using what the company has termed “future multi-energy technology,” according to Reuters.
“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.”
Globally, EV demand growth has cooled off, prompting companies like Tesla and Chinese giant BYD to slash their prices in a bid to drive up demand, according to Reuters. Meanwhile, legacy manufacturers like Ford and General Motors are backing off of ambitious EV production targets.
The Biden administration is pushing manufacturers and consumers to transition to EVs, using stringent regulations and billions of taxpayer dollars to do so. Despite recently finalizing rules that will effectively require manufacturers to ensure that 56% of new car sales are EVs and an additional 13% are plug-in hybrids by 2032, Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan has insisted that the Biden administration is not pushing an EV mandate.
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