Ford Scaling Back 5.0L V8 Production For F-150 Trucks As Demand Drops

Ford is scaling back production of 5.0-liter V8 engines for its F-150 truck amid dwindling demand.

The automaker has announced it would cut one of three shifts at its Essex Engine Plant in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The decision will go into effect in October. Ford said the move was made “to better align with consumer demand,” a company spokesperson told Autonews Canada via email.

Translated into plain English, that means demand for the 5.0-liter V8 engine in F-150 trucks is decreasing. Why is that happening? Well, according to Unifor Local 200 President John D’Agnolo, it’s because Ford offers a growing number of engine choices for F-150 customers.

The union boss said many buyers are opting for the smaller-sized engines to the detriment of the 5.0-liter V8 power plant. Customers can now choose between the 2.7-, 3.3-, 3.5- and 5.0-liter engines, as well as a 3.0-liter PowerStroke diesel variant, for F-150 trucks.

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Ford Canada said the reduction of the third shift at the Essex Engine Plant won’t result in job cuts and that all affected employees will be able to move to Windsor Engine Plant Annex and support 7.3-liter engine production for the 2020 F-Series Super Duty. Part of the Windsor Engine Plant, the Annex building is just a 15-minute drive from the Essex Engine Plant. Two new full shifts will begin at the Annex plant in November.

John D’Agnolo said the decision didn’t take Essex Engine Plant employees by surprise, as there have been down shifts every week since January. Furthermore, there are two down weeks scheduled for this summer and two more in September. “We could see that sales of the 5.0-liter were dropping,” the union leader said.