The Ford Motor Company has announced that the mass production of its new line of electric pickup trucks at the West Tennessee plant will now be delayed until 2028. This was confirmed by a company representative on Thursday.

Ford has informed its suppliers about this delay, which stems from a strategic shift made in June towards developing smaller and more affordable models. In addition to the pickups, production of electric transport vans at the Ohio facility has also been postponed, moving from 2026 to 2028.

Production of the truck prototype is now slated to start in 2027 at the Bleuval City facility in Stanton, Tennessee.

“The F-150 Lightning, the most popular electric truck in America, along with the e-Transit, are currently fulfilling our customers’ needs,” a spokesperson from the company stated. “We are adapting our launch schedules to align with market demands and customer expectations, while also focusing on improving profitability through our Ford+ plans.”

This announcement comes about a year after Ford initially postponed its production targets for these trucks, shifting from 2025 to 2027. Back then, the company indicated that this delay was part of a broader strategy to shift toward low-cost battery production, prioritizing hybrid vehicles to bolster profitability.

Ford had previously committed $5.6 billion to develop the Blue Val City campus in Haywood County back in 2021, promising the creation of 5,800 jobs in exchange for approximately $1 billion in incentives from the state. The Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center aims to hire around 3,000 employees among those positions.

The company has hinted at a significant upcoming announcement, referred to as a “Model T Moment,” planning to reveal details about the design and assembly of an innovative electric vehicle in Kentucky on August 11th at 9:20 a.m.