Canada | Ford delays production of its electric SUVs by two years

(New York) The American manufacturer Ford announced Thursday the delay of two years in the launch of its new electric SUV models to be manufactured in Canada, arguing that it wanted to take advantage of the latest advances in batteries.

These vehicles were due to arrive on the market in 2025, but the group has decided, according to a press release, to “reschedule” their launch to 2027.

This is to “further develop and enable Ford to take advantage of emerging battery technologies, with the goal of providing customers with increased sustainability and better value.”

The Dearborn group announced in April 2023 an investment of 1.8 billion Canadian dollars to convert this assembly plant in Oakville, Ontario, which currently produces combustion vehicles.

This conversion will begin from the second quarter, as initially planned.

Ford will discuss with the Canadian automobile union Unifor “to limit the impact of the launch delay” on employees.

“Unifor is extremely disappointed by the group's decision,” responded Lana Payne, president of the union, quoted in a separate press release.

“Our members can be confident that we will push the company to explore every possible opportunity to lessen the impact of this decision on them and their families,” she added.

Unifor, which deplored a “significant setback,” represents more than 5,600 Ford employees in Canada, including 3,200 in Oakville, a plant that produces the Ford Edge SUV for about another month, according to the union.

Ford further said that a design team in California was designing an electric platform that was “smaller, low-cost, cost-effective, flexible and capable of equipping various models at high volumes.”

Furthermore, the manufacturer specified that the development of its new BlueOval City campus in Tennessee was “progressing as planned”.

This site is to accommodate a paint shop, an assembly plant and another stamping plant for the next generation of electric pick-ups, delivery of which is due to begin in 2026.

The Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center “will be Ford’s first industrial 4.0 site, combining automation and connectivity,” noted the group.

In addition, the expansion of the Avon Lake assembly plant in Ohio continues and the installation of production tools is expected to begin in spring 2025. It is expected to produce a new electric vehicle for professionals “from the middle of the decade.”