Ford is confident it can increase its pickup sales in 2026, which is why it's ramping up production of the F-150 and Super Duty models.

      Ford

      The most significant automotive news and reviews, no nonsense

      Subscribe to our free daily newsletter for the most important stories delivered to you every weekday.

      The average cost of a new vehicle in the United States exceeds $50,000. While this may seem excessive, it becomes clearer when considering that the Ford F-Series pickup is one of the top contenders for America’s best-selling vehicle, with a starting price of $42,620. It’s quite common for buyers to customize one to a price that is more than double that amount.

      Given these factors, it’s no surprise that Ford is seeking ways to ramp up F-150 production in the coming year, especially after a supplier bottleneck hampered manufacturing in the fall. What is surprising is the extent to which Ford is investing in full-size trucks. The company plans to increase production by an additional 50,000 units in 2026 and intends to hire 1,000 more employees to facilitate this, as announced on Thursday.

      Ford cited the fire at the Novelis aluminum plant in Oswego, New York, as a major reason for this initiative - they aim to "recover production losses" incurred due to that incident, which happened in mid-September. The automaker estimates that the fire has impacted their ability to manufacture pickups, costing them $2 billion this quarter. Novelis anticipates full operational recovery by December, and Ford CEO Jim Farley recently visited the site to assess the situation.

      Thus, Ford aims to compensate for lost F-150 production this year in 2026. Additionally, resources are being redirected from the battery-electric Lightning truck to meet this goal—this involves more than just reallocating aluminum.

      According to Ford, Lightning production will "remain paused," and "hourly employees at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center" where the Lightning is produced, will be moved to the Dearborn Truck Plant. There’s no specified timeline for this transition; the announcement includes a "new third crew" at the Dearborn Truck Plant and an increase in staff at the Louisville, Kentucky facility where the Super Duty is manufactured.

      Last year, Ford sold 460,915 units of the F-Series, a 5% decline from the previous year, and fell nearly 15,000 units short of the Toyota RAV4, which had 475,193 sales in 2024, according to data from Jato Dynamics via Forbes. In essence, Ford is already producing a substantial number of trucks, and is optimistic about reaching the half-million mark next year. The company estimates that the end-of-year total for the F-Series could be as much as 100,000 lower in 2025 due to the Novelis fire.

      Have a tip? Email us at [email protected]