Fire at key aluminum supplier, falling EV margins, and tariff pressure push Ford to pause electric truck production and double down on high-margin F-Series
Ford Hits the Brakes on Electric Truck Production
Ford is pausing production of its F-150 Lightning electric pickup at its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Michigan, as it pivots to focus on its gas and hybrid F-Series trucks, which remain far more profitable.
- The F-150 Lightning is currently the best-selling electric pickup in the U.S., but still represents a small fraction of Ford’s total sales.
- This pause follows a September 16 fire at a Novelis aluminum plant that disrupted Ford’s material supply chain, compounding financial pressure.
“We have good inventories of the F-150 Lightning and will bring [production] back up at the right time,” said Ford spokesperson Ian Thibodeau. “But we don’t have an exact date at this time.”
Aluminum Fire and Tariffs Deliver a One-Two Financial Punch
The fire at Novelis’ Oswego, New York plant damaged its hot mill, a critical component in aluminum processing. That facility won’t be fully operational until December 2025, leaving Ford in a supply bind.
- The F-150 Lightning relies more heavily on aluminum than Ford’s gas or hybrid trucks, making it more vulnerable to the disruption.
- Ford estimates the fire will cost the company up to $2 billion in Q4 earnings.
- Additional tariff-related costs of up to $1 billion have led Ford to cut its 2025 profit outlook from $6.5 billion to $6 billion.
Strategic Pivot: Profitable Trucks Come First
To recover from these setbacks, Ford is prioritizing production of its gas and hybrid F-150 and Super Duty trucks, which generate significantly higher profit margins.
- In Q3 2025, Ford sold 10,005 F-150 Lightnings, a 39.7% increase year-over-year.
- But that’s a small slice of the 207,732 total F-Series deliveries, which continue to outpace EV adoption by a wide margin.
- In total, Ford delivered 545,522 vehicles in Q3 2025.
The company plans to add a third shift at its Dearborn Truck Plant, increasing F-Series production by more than 50,000 units in 2026 and creating up to 1,000 new jobs.
All hourly workers from the paused Rouge Electric Vehicle Center will be reassigned to this new shift, keeping employment stable while aligning output with demand and profitability.
EV Sales Growth Slows, While Inventory Remains High
Despite strong year-over-year growth for the F-150 Lightning, overall demand has plateaued:
- Ford sold 23,034 Lightnings in the first nine months of 2025 — only 1% higher than the same period in 2024.
- Ford reports “good inventories” of the model, suggesting slowing turnover and weaker-than-expected consumer demand for electric trucks in the near term.
The company appears to be shifting EV production strategy from aggressive expansion to measured alignment with market demand and supply chain reality.
