(NewsNation) — Ford Motor Co. announced Thursday it will expand production of its F-Series Super Duty pickups at an Ontario, Canada, plant that was initially set to be converted into an all-electric vehicle hub.
The new plan, made to keep up with customer demand for Super Duty trucks, includes a $3 billion investment to expand production of the company’s heavier-duty trucks. It includes $2.3 billion to install assembly and integrated stamping operation at the Oakville Assembly Complex, with the rest used to increase production at supporting facilities in the U.S. and Canada.
Production at the Ontario plant is set to begin in 2026, with 100,000 units of the pickups expected to be assembled.
Ford also manufactures Super Duty trucks at plants in Kentucky and Ohio, which are operating at full capacity. The company said the plants collectively produced more than 200,000 Super Duty units in the first half of this year.
“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. This move benefits our customers and supercharges our Ford Pro commercial business,” Jim Farley, the company’s CEO, said in a news release.
Ford attributed an 8% drop in sales of its F-Series pickup, America’s top-selling vehicle, during the first half of the year to factories’ transition to a new version of the F-150, the Associated Press reported. Super Duty trucks accounted for about 42% of Ford’s total production from January through June.