Ford Motor Company is retiming the launch of upcoming electric vehicles at its Oakville, Ontario, assembly plant while continuing to build out an advanced industrial system to produce its next-generation EVs, including greenfield construction and conversion of existing assembly plants.
The company continues to invest in a broad set of programs as it works to build a full EV line-up. These initiatives support the development of a differentiated and profitably growing EV business over time while Ford serves customers with the right mix of gas, hybrid and EVs based on current demand.
In parallel, Ford is expanding its hybrid EV offerings. By the end of the decade, the company expects to offer hybrid powertrains across its entire Ford Blue lineup in North America. In the first quarter of 2024, Ford’s EV sales increased by 86% and hybrid sales rose 42% versus a year ago.
“As the No. 2 EV brand in the U.S. for the past two years, we are committed to scaling a profitable EV business, using capital wisely and bringing to market the right gas, hybrid and fully electric vehicles at the right time,” says Jim Farley, Ford president and CEO. “Our breakthrough, next-generation EVs will be new from the ground up and fully software-enabled, with ever-improving digital experiences and a multitude of potential services.”
Transformation of the Oakville Assembly Plant — a comprehensive overhaul of the plant from a gas vehicle assembly plant into an EV manufacturing complex — is set to begin in the second quarter of 2024 as planned.
Preparations continue for the market launch of Ford’s all-new three-row EVs at the assembly complex in Oakville, which the company said it will move forward from 2025 to 2027. The additional time will allow for the consumer market for three-row EVs to further develop and enable Ford to take advantage of emerging battery technology.
“We value our Canadian teammates and appreciate that this delay will have an impact on this excellent team,” says Farley. “We are fully committed to manufacturing in Canada and believe this decision will help us build a profitably growing business for the long term.”
The company will work with Unifor to mitigate the impact the launch delay will have on its workforce at Oakville.
“We are committed to taking care of our valued Oakville employees through this transition,” says Bev Goodman, president and CEO, Ford Canada. “While this change requires a revision to the timeline, it will support a viable and growing future for our company, employees and dealers.”
The creation of the BlueOval City campus — Ford’s new advanced auto production complex that includes the Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center assembly plant — is progressing on track. In addition to paint shop and vehicle assembly equipment, installation is also underway for nearly 4,000 tons of stamping equipment that will produce sheet metal stampings for Ford’s next all-new electric truck.
Ford plans to begin customer deliveries of the new truck in 2026 and gradually ramp up production to help assure quality. The Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center will be Ford’s first Industry 4.0 plant, combining automation and connectivity to help elevate quality and efficiency.
Prospective employees can meet with Ford representatives at the new Ford Tennessee Discovery Center in Brownsville, Tenn., once it opens. The plant’s management team brings together leaders from around the world, including Ford veterans and talent from Tesla, Amazon, Meta, Toyota and FedEx.
Additionally, Ford continues its expansion of the Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake, Ohio, to produce an all-new electric commercial vehicle for Ford Pro customers beginning mid-decade.
Half of the structural steel is erected on the site, interior slabs are being poured, concrete walls are going up and masonry is beginning on interior walls. Ford expects to begin tool installation at Ohio Assembly Plant in spring 2025.
Design work continues on Ford’s future-generation EVs. A skunkworks team in California is developing a smaller, low-cost, profitable, flexible EV platform that can underpin multiple vehicles at high volumes. Alan Clarke leads the team, which includes personnel from Auto Motive Power (AMP) following Ford’s acquisition of the EV energy management startup in late 2023.
In the meantime, construction is progressing at BlueOval Battery Park Michigan, in Marshall, Mich., and at the BlueOval SK joint venture battery plants in Tennessee and Kentucky.
Photo credit: Rudolph Libbe Group
