Despite Increases In Gas-Powered F-150 Production, Ford Remains Committed To EVs

As part of a larger strategy to increase production of various models, Ford Motor Co. said on Friday that it was looking into ways to increase output of gasoline-powered and hybrid F-150 pickups at a Michigan factory.

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The Bronco Sport and Maverick will have more than 80,000 extra vehicles produced this year than in 2022, according to the No. 2 U.S. carmaker.

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The carmaker reaffirmed that it is still on pace to produce the F-150 Lightning EV at a rate that will triple this year, with a goal of producing 150,000 units annually by the end of 2023. A battery fire forced the company to cease operations in early February; they intend to start up again on March 13.

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Early Friday trading saw a 3.6% increase in Ford stock.

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In 2022, Ford's U.S. F-150 sales decreased by 9.9% to 654,000, including 15,617 F-150 EV pickups, as the firm battled supply chain and production issues.

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Common Motors

In order to maintain "ideal inventory levels with our dealerships," the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup truck production factory in Fort Wayne, Indiana, will be shut down for two weeks starting on March 27.

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Stellantis, GM, Ford, and Chrysler's parent company

control the heavy pickup truck market in the United States, and over the past two years, they have been boosting the price of their trucks to record levels as production was hampered by supply-chain issues.

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This Monday, the U.S. Postal Service announced that starting later this year, it would purchase 9,250 Ford E-Transit delivery vans.

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Ford started ramping up Mustang Mach-E production this week and intends to roughly double its hourly output and raise its planned yearly manufacturing run rate to 210,000 units by the end of 2023.