Ford isn’t going to make more F-150 Lightnings for a while

Ford Motor Company has prioritized the production of its gas and hybrid F-150 and F-Series Super Duty trucks as it navigates the aftermath of a significant fire at a key aluminum supplier's factory. This decision means that the assembly of the all-electric F-150 Lightning will remain on hold for the foreseeable future. The automaker announced that the pause in production at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, is driven by the higher profitability of gas and hybrid models, which also require less aluminum. Although Ford has reported positive sales growth for the F-150 Lightning, these figures are still eclipsed by those of the gas-powered F-Series trucks. In the third quarter, Ford sold 10,005 F-150 Lightning pickups, marking a 39.7% increase compared to the same period last year. However, this is modest when placed against the backdrop of Ford's total vehicle deliveries, which reached 545,522, including 207,732 F-Series trucks. As of now, Ford has sold 23,034 F-150 Lightning trucks in 2025, reflecting a 1% increase over the first nine months of 2024. A spokesperson for Ford emphasized that while the F-150 Lightning holds the title of the best-selling electric pickup in the U.S., the company remains focused on ramping up production of gas and hybrid models to offset losses stemming from the September 16 fire at Novelis’ plant in Oswego, New York, which had a significant impact on its hot mill operations. Novelis has indicated that it expects to resume hot mill operations by December 2025. Despite having good inventories of the F-150 Lightning, Ford has not specified when the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center will resume production. The fire at the Novelis plant has resulted in substantial costs for Ford, affecting production of some of its most popular and profitable vehicles. The company has projected that the incident could lead to losses of up to $2 billion in earnings for the fourth quarter, which, combined with up to $1 billion in tariff-related challenges, prompted a revision of its full-year profit forecast for 2025, reducing it from $6.5 billion to $6 billion. To recover from the losses associated with the fire, Ford plans to boost F-Series production by over 50,000 trucks in 2026 by introducing a third production shift. This initiative is also expected to create approximately 1,000 new jobs, with all hourly employees at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center being reassigned to work at the Dearborn Truck Plant during this new shift.