Following the debut of the redesigned 2023 Ford Super Duty, The Blue Oval has struggled to build enough units of its popular, highly profitable truck to meet demand. This, in spite of the fact that the Ford Super Duty lineup is actually produced at two different facilities – the Kentucky Truck plant and the Ohio Assembly plant. Now, in a somewhat surprising revelation, FoMoCo has announced that it will be adding another to that list – the Oakville Assembly plant in Canada.
Starting in 2026, Ford Super Duty production will begin at the Oakville plant, with an expected output of up to 100,000 units annually. The automaker will invest $3 billion to make this happen, with $2.3 billion of that sum going toward retooling the Oakville plant for Ford Super Duty production, including the installation of both assembly and stamping equipment. This move will also add around 1,800 jobs at the Oakville plant, with 150 more joining the ranks at the Windsor Engine Complex to build V8 engines for the Super Duty as well.
On top of that, Ford will invest $24 million in the Sharonville Transmission plant, $1 million in the Rawsonville Components plant, and add 50 more jobs at the Sterling Axle plant as part of this expansion. What’s particularly notable about all of this, however, is the fact that previously, Ford planned on retooling the Oakville plant to produce an all-electric three-row Ford Explorer for North America, though that model was delayed earlier this year.
However, this pivot will result in 400 more jobs than what would have been added for the Explorer EV, and Unifor-represented workers will also now be able to return to work a year earlier than expected, which is something the union has been negotiating for ever since Ford Edge production ended there earlier this year, leaving the plant without anything to build.
“Super Duty is a vital tool for businesses and people around the world and, even with our Kentucky Truck Plant and Ohio Assembly Plant running flat out, we can’t meet the demand,” said Ford CEO Jim Farley. “This move benefits our customers and supercharges our Ford Pro commercial business. At the same time, we look forward to introducing three-row electric utility vehicles, leveraging our experience in three-row utility vehicles and our learnings as America’s No. 2 electric vehicle brand to deliver fantastic, profitable vehicles.”
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Comments
Great news!
Ford will build the vehicle that customers want. What a novel idea.