Ford Pivots on Lineup
The company refocuses on hybrids and smaller EVs while adding energy-storage business line.

Production has ceased on the all-electric F-150 Lightning as Ford shifts the model to extended-range and refocuses on hybrids.
Ford
Ford said it hasn’t abandoned its aim to achieve companywide carbon neutrality by 2050. It’s just going to go about it in a different way than earlier planned.
Like most automakers, the Detroit-area company has backed off ambitious goals to go all electric in the face of slower demand and government disincentives. This week, it said it will eliminate some larger electric models, including the popular F-150 Lightning, instead refocusing on hybrids. In fact, it said most of its models will have hybrid or “multienergy” power train options by 2029.
Ford also plans to offer more affordable models amid an inflated market that has made it challenging for many consumers to swing new vehicles. The plan includes five new affordable models by the end of the decade.
“This approach prioritizes affordability, choice and profits,” the company said in a statement.
Ford now expects half of its worldwide production volume to be made up of hybrids and EVs by 2030, including extended-range electrifieds, compared to just 17% across those categories this year. It will make purely electric models on what it calls its Universal EV Platform for smaller, affordable vehicles, including a midsize pickup to enter production in 2027.
The next generation of the Lightning, meanwhile, will be an extended-range model produced at its Rouge EV plant in Dearborn. The production team formerly assigned to the current Lightning will join a third team at another Dearborn truck plant for F-150 gas and hybrid production.
Ford said the shifts to “rationalize” its EV lineup will make it more profitable. It anticipates more than $19 billion in special charges this year tied to EVs.
Meanwhile, the company announced a new business line in sales and service of battery energy storage for data centers and infrastructure “to support the electric grid” via its underutilized EV battery capacity. While Ford didn’t mention artificial intelligence, the technology requires copious amounts of electricity and is driving expansion of data center development.
LEARN MORE: Ford Dealers Charged Up for EVs
More Industry

Two New Rides Earn Safety Awards
Thanks to vehicle redesigns, two more vehicles have earned IIHS’ Top Safety Pick+ award that builds on the criteria of the lower Top Safety Pick award.
Read More →
How A Simple Phone Call Can Cause a Dealership Data Breach
Despite the sophisticated techniques fraudsters often employ today to gain access to dealerships’ valuable information, they sometimes use a somewhat old-fashioned approach.
Read More →
Texas Rooftop Gets New Owner, Name
Family-owned Lumos Auto Group acquired Acura of the Rio Grande Valley from Bill Bird and will operate the dealership as Lumos Acura.
Read More →
Hyundai Feeling Electric
As the automaker looks to the balance of the decade, it plans to significantly boost its electrified powertrain lineup, including more hybrids and its first extended-range EVs.
Read More →
Dealer Debrief: Luxury Brands are Losing Ground
The quality gap between luxury and mass-market auto brands is narrowing. Today, Lauren is discussing why.
Read More →
August Auto Sales a Mixed Bag
An early forecast shows strong business despite consumer hurdles, and hybrids are a big piece of their affordability coping strategy.
Read More →
Longtime Ford Store Changes Hands
The Virginia dealership joins a small area automotive group in a one-dealership transaction, moving from one family franchisee to another.
Read More →
Auto Loan Delinquency Rates Stabilize
Auto loans are a main driver of nonmortgage consumer debt, but delinquency rates stabilized in the second quarter across all credit risk tiers.
Read More →
ASE Seeks Accurate Technician Pay, Benefits Data
New free membership trial removes cost barrier for dealerships and shops willing to contribute anonymous information to the industry data exchange.
Read More →
No Longer Worth the Price?
Mass-market auto brands are gaining ground on luxury competitors with what used to be premium features, helped along by the pressure of high vehicle prices dogging budget-conscious shoppers.
Read More →
