As you probably know, some automakers have plants right here in Canada, most of which are located in Ontario. This includes Ford with its Oakville plant, where the Ford Edge and Lincoln Nautilus were produced until recently.
With both models at the end of their life cycle, Ford had announced plans to transform the plant to produce electric SUVs, but it seems that the American automaker has changed its strategy. Indeed, Ford announced earlier this week that the plant will instead produce Super Duty trucks.
As for the two electric SUVs that were supposed to be assembled in Oakville, production will now begin in just two years.
Why Such a Decision
If you’ve been following the news lately, you know that many automakers have not met their electric vehicle sales targets. Production costs are increasingly high, not to mention the materials needed for battery manufacturing. Furthermore, political opinions regarding electric vehicles have significantly changed in recent years.
All of this has led many automakers to revise their strategies for electric vehicles, and this is also the case for Ford, which has significantly reduced production for the Lightning.
On the other hand, the popularity of the Super Duty series continues to increase year after year, to the point where the American manufacturer struggles to meet demand, despite the fact that the truck is already assembled in two plants. Ford’s goal is to produce more than 100,000 units per year at Oakville starting in 2026.
Another piece of good news is that modifying the Oakville plant\'s assembly line to build the Super Duty will create more than 1,800 jobs, which is even better than the 1,400 additional jobs that had been planned for the production of the two new electric SUVs.
We have also learned that a hybrid powertrain could be added to the Super Duty lineup in the coming years. For now, this is just a rumor, but the automaker is expected to confirm the news in the coming weeks if current information circulating online is to be believed.
Jean-Sébastien Poudrier
