F-150 Lightning Production Suspended Indefinitely as Ford Shifts Focus Back to Gas Trucks | Carscoops

      Ford is set to increase production of the F-150 and F-Series Super Duty in 2026, though the Lightning model will be affected.

       17 hours ago

      

       by Michael Gauthier

      

      Ford intends to recover lost production caused by a fire at an aluminum supplier.

      A third shift in Dearborn aims to produce over 45,000 additional F-150 trucks.

      Production of the F-150 Lightning will be halted as the company focuses on gas and hybrid models.

      Operations at a Novelis aluminum plant have been disrupted due to a fire, impacting several automakers, including Ford and its best-selling F-150. This setback has been expensive, but the Blue Oval plans to recover next year by boosting truck production.

      The initiative will see the Dearborn Truck Plant add a third shift with approximately 1,200 employees, supported by over 90 new hires at Dearborn Stamping and more than 80 additional staff at Dearborn Diversified Manufacturing.

      With the additional workforce and shift, Ford aims to produce over 45,000 extra F-150s in 2026, featuring standard powertrains since the F-150 Lightning has not met expectations.

      Assembly of the electric truck will “remain paused” indefinitely as the company prioritizes the production of gas and hybrid models, which are deemed “more profitable for Ford and require less aluminum.”

      As a result of the production halt, hourly workers at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center will be transferred to the nearby Dearborn Truck Plant to join the new third shift. This shift will comprise new hires and some employees transferred from other facilities.

      To enhance production of the popular F-Series Super Duty, Ford is investing $60 million into the Kentucky Truck Plant. This investment will accelerate the production line, allowing for one additional truck to be manufactured every hour. Though this may seem minor, it will lead to more than 5,000 extra pickups.

      These funds will also help with training new staff, and the plant is expected to create over 100 new jobs.

      Overall, Ford will boost production by more than 50,000 units and generate up to 1,000 new jobs. Ford’s Chief Operating Officer, Kumar Galhotra, remarked, “The people who keep our country running depend on America’s most popular vehicle – F-Series trucks – and we are mobilizing our team to meet that demand.”

      Novelis Fire Could Cost Ford $1 Billion

      The announcement to increase production comes as Ford indicated that the “Novelis headwind” could result in up to $1 billion in losses between 2025 and 2026.

      CEO Jim Farley has already visited the affected plant, stating, “We are working intensively with Novelis and others to source aluminum that can be processed in the cold rolling section of the plant that remains operational, while also working to restore overall plant production.” This effort aims to “minimize the impact in 2025 and recover production in 2026.”

      In light of the fire's aftermath, Ford now anticipates finishing the year with an adjusted EBIT of $6 billion to $6.5 billion and an adjusted free cash flow of $2 billion to $3 billion.

      On a positive note, third-quarter revenue reached a record $50.5 billion, marking a 9% increase from the previous year, with a net income of $2.4 billion. However, tariffs imposed during the Trump administration cost the automaker approximately $700 million.