Ford cancels electric three-row SUV, pivots to hybrid

Ford’s electric three-row SUV that was postponed earlier this year is now officially canceled. It’s only one of Ford’s EV- and hybrid vehicle-related announcements today.

In addition to the SUV’s pre-launch death, Ford said it’s delaying production for its next-generation electric pickup built on the T3 platform. This would-be Lightning successor (built on a dedicated EV platform instead of a modified F-150 one) is said to be pushed back by about 18 months into late 2027. A midsize truck under development by a Ford “skunkworks” team in California (with the aim being affordability) is also scheduled to launch in 2027.

Instead of the three-row electric SUV, Ford says it’s turning attention to hybrid vehicles for future three-row offerings. There’s no timeline, but Ford’s statement says to expect “breakthrough efficiency, performance benefits and emissions reductions versus pure gas vehicles and extend the range of the vehicle on road trips relative to pure electric vehicles.” Ford also stated that it would provide an update on the company’s electrification plans in the first half of 2025, so perhaps we’ll learn more next year.

All that said, Ford remains committed to updating and evolving its current EVs, the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning. It also plans to begin production of a next-generation commercial van in 2026 at its Ohio Assembly plant. And while Ford was originally meant to begin vehicle assembly at its giant Tennessee production facility next year, now it only plans on battery cell production there in 2025.

These moves will cost Ford financially, as the company says it “will take a special non-cash charge of about $400 million for the write-down of certain product-specific manufacturing assets for the previously planned all-electric three-row SUVs.” Ford also says such actions could result in additional expenses and cash expenditures of $1.5 billion. In terms of overall spending, Ford says it will reduce its annual cash expenditures on EVs from 40% to 30%. Ultimately, Ford believes these moves today will help it deliver a profitable EV business in the future.