ford is going through a situation that tests its electrification strategy. What seemed like a firm step towards the future became a forced pause. A fire at the Novelis plant, its main aluminum supplier, disrupted production and forced the company to take drastic action: indefinitely stop manufacturing the F-150 Lightningits flagship electric pickup.
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The event generated a financial impact estimated at up to $1 billion, a figure that Ford cannot ignore in a context where profitability is key to sustaining its transformation towards electric mobility.
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Faced with the shortage of aluminum and the pressure to maintain the stability of its business, the brand chose to strengthen its historical pillar: the F-Series with combustion and hybrid engines.
Profitability rules: the power of the F-Series
Although the pause in the Lightning represents a symbolic blow to Ford’s electrical strategy, from the top of the company the decision is clear. The objective is to redirect resources towards models that ensure immediate income and a constant flow of production.
According to the brand itself, combustion trucks are “more profitable for Ford and they use less aluminum”an argument that gains strength when the supply of materials is uncertain.
Consequently, Ford will concentrate its efforts on the F-150 and F-Series Super Duty models.absolute leaders in sales and true financial pillars of the company. To achieve this, it will implement a significant expansion of production capacity in its most important plants.
In Dearborn, for example, a third work shift will be added, which will allow more than 45,000 additional units of the F-150 to be manufactured throughout 2025. This effort will also create approximately 1,000 new jobs, an unusual move at a time when many automakers are reducing staff in their electrical divisions.
Millionaire investments and reinforced production
Ford’s productive offense doesn’t stop there. At its Kentucky plant, the company will allocate an investment of $60 million dollars to speed up the assembly line and add more than 5,000 additional units of the F-Series Super Duty. With these measures, the brand hopes to increase its total production by more than 50,000 pickupsa figure that seeks to compensate for the Lightning’s stoppage and maintain its dominance in the American truck market.
This pragmatic approach demonstrates that Ford is willing to adapt quickly when the environment demands it. In times of supply chain uncertainty, maintaining profitability and responsiveness is essential to sustaining global operations.
However, The reorientation towards combustion engines also makes a clear message: the road to full electrification will be longer and bumpier than expected. For now, the traditional business remains the company’s source of stability.
Labor consequences and a clear message
The suspension of the F-150 Lightning will also directly affect the workers of the Rouge Electric Vehicle Centerwhere the electric pickup was assembled. Instead of layoffs, Ford decided to move hourly employees to the Dearborn plant, where they will join the new production shift for gasoline and hybrid F-Series.
The measure seeks to maintain jobs while reorganizing production and ensuring a response to the demand of American consumers. Despite the electrical pause, Ford makes it clear that its commitment to innovation continues, although now under a more balanced strategy between the new and the traditional.
Ford COO Kumar Galhotra summed it up with a phrase that reflects the spirit of the brand: “The people who keep America running depend on America’s most popular vehicle, F-Series trucks, and we are mobilizing our team to meet that demand.”
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