Ford is halting production of the F-150 Lightning electric pickup to focus on more profitable gasoline and hybrid F-series pickups. This decision comes after a fire at the Novelis aluminum plant, which could cut Ford's profits by up to $1 billion.
Automaker Ford is halting production of the F-150 Lightning electric pickup to focus on more profitable gasoline and hybrid F-series pickups, Electrek reports, writes UNN.
Details
Ford released its third-quarter earnings report, exceeding expectations for total and net profit. Despite the strong performance, not all news was good.
A fire at the Novelis aluminum plant in Oswego, New York, USA, which Ford uses for its F-series, forced the company to suspend production of the F-150 Lightning electric pickup.
Ford warned that the fire could reduce pre-tax profit by up to $1 billion more than expected. To offset the losses, the automaker announced plans to create up to 1,000 new jobs to significantly increase production of F-150 and F-Series Super Duty trucks. In 2026, Ford plans to increase production by more than 50,000 trucks.
Meanwhile, electric pickup production is delayed. Ford stated that "F-150 Lightning assembly at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center will remain suspended."
This decision comes as Ford prioritizes "more profitable" gasoline and hybrid vehicles, which the company says use less aluminum.
The question of when and if F-150 Lightning production will resume remains open.
Although the F-150 Lightning has not met expectations, it remains America's best-selling electric pickup, ahead of the Tesla Cybertruck and Rivian R1T. In the third quarter of 2025, Ford sold a record 10,000 electric pickups, totaling 23,034 units in the first nine months of 2025.
Ford Blue and Pro divisions, which deal with internal combustion engines, as well as software and commercial developments, showed strong growth in the third quarter.
Meanwhile, Ford Model e's electric vehicle division lost another $1.4 billion in the third quarter. This is more than the $1.2 billion loss in the third quarter of 2024. Ford's electric vehicle business has lost $3.6 billion as of September.
Ford said that about $3 billion of this amount is attributable to previous-generation electric vehicles. The remaining $600 million is an investment in next-generation electric vehicles.
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