Ford ve 2. čtvrtletí prodal v USA 549 200 vozů, což je meziročně o 10 % méně kvůli ukončeným modelům a propadu prodejů do denních pronájmů. F-Series zůstala nejprodávanějším truckem v USA.
Ford Motor Company (F - Free Report) reported second-quarter U.S. sales of 549,200 vehicles, down 10% year over year, primarily due to discontinued models and a 69% decline in daily rental sales. The company is currently retooling its Louisville Assembly Plant to manufacture its new affordable four-door electric pickup based on the Universal Electric Vehicle platform, with production scheduled to begin next year.
During the first half of the year, F-Series sales totaled 357,801 units, retaining their position as America's best-selling truck and surpassing the second-place Chevrolet Silverado by more than 80,000 units. Despite strong customer demand, first-half F-Series sales were impacted by production timing following last year's aluminum supply shortages. Ford expects supply conditions to improve during the second half of 2026.
Ford increased its estimated U.S. retail market share by 0.2 percentage points to 12.3% in June, supported by strong demand for its high-margin SUVs and F-Series pickups. Sales of Expedition, Explorer and Bronco helped offset the planned phase-out of the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair, paving the way for the launch of the company's affordable electric pickup built on its Universal Electric Vehicle platform. From Jan. 1, 2026, through the end of June, Ford sold 1 million vehicles, representing a 9.6% decline from the 1.1 million units sold in the first half of 2025.
The Maverick, America's best-selling hybrid pickup, achieved a record second-quarter performance with sales rising 19.3% year over year to 29,457 units. Explorer sales climbed 21% year over year to 126,925 units during the first half, supported by a refreshed trim lineup. Combined sales of the Active and ST-Line trims increased 31% year over year in the first half, while Platinum and Tremor sales jumped 55.6%. Explorer Tremor also recorded its strongest monthly sales in June since its launch last October. Although total Expedition sales declined 9.8% year over year due to fleet order timing, retail sales increased 13.7% in the first half, with second-quarter retail sales advancing 15.2%.
Bronco posted record sales in both the second quarter and the first half, outselling the Jeep Wrangler during the quarter. Second-quarter Bronco sales rose 15.9% year over year, while first-half deliveries increased 6.8% to a record 76,936 units. Off-road-focused variants, including Bronco, Raptor, Tremor and FX4 models, represented 23.9% of Ford's first-half sales mix, up 3.6 percentage points year over year. Sales of these performance-oriented models increased 6.5% year over year to 240,634 vehicles. Raptor sales grew 21.4% in the second quarter and 10.6% in the first half, while Tremor series sales surged 118% from a year ago during the first six months.
Ford Pro's paid software subscriptions exceeded 900,000 in the first half, an increase of approximately 20%, while cumulative hands-free driving hours using BlueCruise surpassed 12 million. F currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Besides Ford, its top competitors, General Motors Company (GM - Free Report) and Stellantis N.V. (STLA - Free Report) , also reported second-quarter sales results.
General Motors reported second-quarter U.S. sales of 714,896 vehicles, down 4% year over year, as demand was affected by a smaller electric-vehicle market, discontinued models and inventory constraints. EV sales fell 33% from the same period last year. All four of General Motors’ brands posted lower sales in the quarter. Cadillac recorded the steepest decline of 19.2% year over year, followed by Buick at 7.5%, Chevrolet at 3.9% and GMC at 0.3%.
Stellantis reported U.S. sales of 328,284 vehicles in the second quarter of 2026, up 6% year over year, driven by higher demand for Ram pickups and the refreshed Chrysler Pacifica minivan. Ram sales increased 11% year over year, while Chrysler deliveries surged 80%. However, Jeep sales fell 5% year over year, Dodge declined 15%, and sales of Fiat and Alfa Romeo also dropped sharply. For the first half of 2026, Stellantis delivered 634,345 vehicles in the United States, representing a 5% increase from the prior-year period.
Ford získal klíčový kvalitativní milník, když se značka umístila na 1. místě v žebříčku J.D. Power pro počáteční kvalitu mezi masovými značkami v USA. CEO Jim Farley chce na tom stavět a bezchybně uvést novou modelovou řadu.
DETROIT — Ford Motor regularly promotes itself as a cornerstone of American manufacturing, business and truck leadership with its best-selling F-Series pickups, but it also has led the U.S. in one area that it isn't so proud of: vehicle recalls and quality issues.
They've plagued the Detroit automaker's earnings, degraded customer trust and stained Ford's reputation for much of the past decade. The automaker has issued 53 recalls for more than 12 million vehicles so far this year after an industry record of 153 recalls covering 13 million cars and trucks in 2025.
But that period for Ford is coming to an end, CEO Jim Farley told CNBC during an exclusive interview, as the automaker notched a key quality milestone. He said Ford has learned from its past mistakes and will use that knowledge to attempt to flawlessly launch a litany of new products in the coming years.
"Our best days are in front of us as we continue to execute this quality turnaround for our investors, for employees, for our customers," Farley said during a phone interview. "We're going to have all new vehicles across our entire North America range in a couple of years, and so that whole new lineup, we have to launch all those perfectly."
Doing so will be a difficult task. New vehicle launches, especially ones with emerging technologies such as software-defined systems and electrified powertrains, are complex, and one issue can have a ripple effect on an entire product line.
It's something Farley knows all too well. Such issues have cost Ford billions of dollars in losses under his nearly six-year tenure leading the company.
The automaker this week added to its 2026 recall total by recalling 741,195 SUVs and F-150 pickup trucks that varied in age from the 2018 to 2021 model years.
Investors have been closely watching the issues, saying unneeded warranty costs are a risk to the company's guidance and future business plans. Warranty costs are the expenses an automaker incurs to cover repairs, replacements and other costs for defective parts or workmanship under a certain period of time or miles driven after customers purchase a new vehicle.
Ford said it reduced warranty and materials costs by $1.5 billion in 2025, when adjusted for volume and mix, and is targeting an additional reduction in warranty and material costs in 2026. This follows the company's warranty costs reaching a high of $4.8 billion in 2023.
"While warranty costs had been a clear drag to earnings over the past several years, Ford appears to have 'turned the corner,'" Barclays analyst Dan Levy said in a May 15 investor note, citing four consecutive quarters of year-over-year warranty benefits. "We believe the 1Q warranty improvement is encouraging, yet believe further improvement will still be needed."
Ford No. 1 in initial qualityThe company last week received outside validation of its yearslong efforts to turn around its product issues as the Ford brand was named the top mass-market brand in the U.S. in J.D. Power's initial quality ranking.
After the news was released on June 25, Ford stock rose 2%, making it the company's second-best trading day of the month.
Ford stock in 2026
It's the first time since 2010 that Ford has led mainstream brands in the influential study, which assesses expected new vehicle quality based on owner-reported problems within the first 90 days of ownership. Ford, which ranked No. 23 in 2023, ranked third among all brands, behind luxury makers Porsche and Hyundai's Genesis. It came before Toyota's Lexus brand at No. 4.
Ford improved in nearly every vehicle category measured by J.D. Power in initial quality, including software, infotainment and power trains.
The acknowledgement comes as Farley has doubled down on efforts to restructure Ford's leadership, including its bonuses and incentives; focus on quality; and revamp its processes as well as those of suppliers and other partners to more proactively identify potential problems.
"I'm very proud that an American car company can beat the world in initial quality, but obviously none of us are satisfied," said Farley, who worked at Toyota for nearly 19 years before Ford. "We have so much left to do to be the No. 1 quality brand in all attributes."
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Farley said Ford needs to continue trying to lower its warranty costs and future recalls as well as improve its overall quality reputation, including long-term durability.
Ford and its luxury Lincoln brand respectively ranked 18th and 19th in J.D. Power's U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study released in February, well below the industry average. That study looks at vehicles over a longer period.
Farley declined to predict when Ford, which has led recalls in the U.S. since 2024, will not hold that position anymore, saying he can't control what happens in older-model vehicles as well as competitors' efforts in quality. But he did say everything the company is doing "will absolutely lead to a massive reduction" in future recalls of current and future products.
"The ultimate success metric is will we do it over the course of five or 10 years through launches, through all sorts of economic cycles," he said. "Everyone wants the quick answer, but when it comes to quality, time is the most important measure of success."
Ford's quality effortsRecalls are companies rectifying mistakes that weren't caught or known during a vehicle's development or production. They can range from mundane issues such as visor labels or software updates to severe, potentially deadly issues for consumers.
Ford's most recent quality efforts have focused on finding any issues as soon as possible in a vehicle's development, which Farley said meant structurally rearranging the company's processes.
He implemented a new organizational structure and has hired 350 technical specialists since 2023, held more routine meetings, encouraged closer collaboration with suppliers and rolled out more rigorous testing during the entire vehicle development process.
Ford also changed its bonus structure, tying executive compensation more closely to quality metrics, including those for new executives from Whirlpool and Johnson Controls who brought additional quality expertise.
Ford has still had to deal with issues along the way. After it rolled out new artificial intelligence tools to detect problems, the company had to ultimately bring back what it calls veteran "gray beard" engineers to help guide younger staff members and to better train its AI models.
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"We found in the past that Ford restructured the company to save money, only to find that we had let go experienced people in supply chain and manufacturing and engineering," he said. "By bringing those people back, that complements all this AI technology."
For many companies, AI has increasingly shown it can increase productivity of many tasks but might not be as efficient if it's not properly trained and deployed to assist the work of human employees.
Farley said that while Ford's quality efforts are a never-ending journey, he believes the company is about halfway through its most recent turnaround efforts under his Ford+ business plan, which is just beginning to show Ford's future upside.
"I know after 40 years how important quality is and durability is, and how difficult it is to be the best, which we now are initial," Farley said. "We cannot lose this momentum, it has to be a culture."
Ford ve 2. čtvrtletí v USA prodal o 10,3 % méně vozů kvůli problémům s výrobou modelů F-Series a slabší poptávce po elektromobilech. Prodej čistých EV klesl o 40,7 %.
DETROIT — Ford Motor on Thursday reported a 10.3% decline in its second-quarter U.S. new vehicle sales as the company battled a supplier issue for its F-Series pickup trucks and a significant decline in all-electric vehicles.
The Detroit automaker said its pure EV sales fell by 40.7% during the quarter compared with a year earlier. Sales of its F-Series trucks, including the F-150, fell 11% as Ford began ramping up production after its top aluminum supplier restarted production following two fires late last year.
"Although customer demand remains high, first-half F-Series sales reflect a retiming of commercial production following last year's aluminum supply shortages. Ford expects supply to recover more fully in the second half of the year," Ford said in a release.
Ford sold 549,200 vehicles during the second quarter compared to 612,095 units a year earlier. While that's among the largest expected industry declines, the results slightly beat Cox Automotive's expectations for Ford sales to fall 11.5%.
Read more CNBC auto newsFord CEO wants level playing field with Toyota, GM imports as USMCA trade talks reopenTesla reports 480,126 vehicle deliveries for second quarter, topping expectationAutomakers report mixed U.S. sales results as hybrid vehicles drive marketU.S. auto industry faces increased uncertainty without extension of USMCA trade dealThe automaker has sold 1 million vehicles year-to-date through June, down 9.6% from 1.1 million during the first half of last year.
Ford noted that despite the declines, the F-Series remained America's top-selling truck. The company also estimates its U.S. retail market share to end the quarter was up 0.2 percent points compared with a year earlier, to 12.3%.
Ford's sales come a day after most major automakers reported second-quarter numbers that were better than expected, largely driven by increased demand for hybrid vehicles. Cross-town rival General Motors saw its sales fall 4.2%, however, as its EV sales dropped.
Automotive data firm Motor Intelligence on Wednesday estimated U.S. industry sales for June were up 7.5% compared to a year ago, leading to a monthly adjusted selling pace of 16.67 million units, which was higher than many forecasters had expected.
As of last week, Cox Automotive expected U.S. auto sales to be down 2.9% to 15.8 million vehicles, including a 3.4% decline in retail sales. That included a 16.1 adjusted selling rate forecast for June.
DETROIT — As negotiations officially reopen for the USMCA North American trade deal, Ford Motor CEO Jim Farley is clear about what the automaker wants under the new talks: a more level playing field.
He told CNBC he wants automakers such as Ford that largely produce their vehicles domestically to be awarded under the deal. Along with that, Farley said other automakers — such as General Motors and Toyota Motor — that may produce here but also heavily rely on imported vehicles should get more penalties.
"It's imperative that any new agreement makes it easier, not harder, to compete with U.S. makers who import from Japan, South Korea and global competitors that import from those locations," Farley told CNBC during a phone interview Wednesday. "That's the key for us."
Producing in such countries is typically less expensive due to labor costs.
GM and Toyota are No. 1 and No. 2 in U.S. sales, respectively, while also being the top two importers of vehicles in 2025.
GM imported 1.17 million vehicles, or 41% of its U.S. sales, while Toyota imported more than 1.19 million units, or 47%, of its domestic sales, according to industry data.
Hyundai Motor, which plans to roughly double its amount of U.S.-produced domestic sales to 80% by 2030, was the largest importer of vehicles from South Korea, followed by GM.
Ford, meanwhile, reports it assembled more than 2 million vehicles in the U.S. last year — more than any other auto manufacturer, including 311,000 units for export to more than 60 international markets. It imported 378,000 vehicles, or 17%, of its 2.2 million sales last year.
"Ford's a leader of U.S. auto production with the most U.S.-built vehicles but, more importantly, we import very few, and we export the most, and we have the most UAW [union] workers here," Farley said. "So we're very proud, especially of the ratio between what we build here and what we import."
Farley's comments come as the Trump administration has decided not to renew its trilateral trade pact with Canada and Mexico, instead opting to conduct annual reviews of the treaty that could eventually lead to an end to the agreement by 2036.
The auto industry represented about 18% of America's trading with its neighboring countries last year, according to industry data, making it one of the key sectors in the discussions. Automakers and others watching the talks are concerned that reopening the deal could create additional trade uncertainty that leads to lower investments and fewer jobs.
A consortium of U.S. trade groups representing most automakers, dealers and suppliers on Wednesday voiced support for a trilateral deal like the countries currently have.
"We urge the leaders of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to swiftly reach consensus on an extension of USMCA that preserves the existing trilateral partnership, returns to preferential treatment for qualifying goods, and continues the stability and predictability that has helped the industry thrive for the past six years," they said in a statement.
Ford znovu najal více než 350 zkušených inženýrů, aby opravili selhávající AI systémy kontroly kvality. Firma říká, že automatizace nedávala požadované výsledky.
The automaker became a case study in AI hubris, bringing back 350 "gray beard" engineers to teach its automated quality systems to build cars that don't suck.
Antuan started out in the automotive industry the old-fashioned way, by turning wrenches in a driveway and picking up speeding tickets. He now has nearly 20 years of expertise and experience behind the wheel of hundreds of cars, including electric, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, hydrogen, and traditional combustion vehicles. For each car he tests, Antuan covers more than 200 miles behind the wheel and evaluates driving dynamics; acceleration and braking performance; range; and efficiency. Antuan's goal is to use his extensive car knowledge to educate CNET readers and help with their next car-related buying decision. Whether you're EV-curious, an EV-enthusiast or a combustion-car loyalist, Antuan will bring you the unbiased advice, reviews, best lists and news you need. You can reach Antuan at [email protected]
Expertise Nearly two decades of testing, driving, reporting on, writing about, reviewing, and editing content about electric and ICE cars. Category focus is on electrified cars, EVs, HEVs, PHEVs, ICE cars, EV infrastructure, EV chargers, EV adapters, EV news, auton Credentials
North American Car, Truck and SUV of the Year (NACTOY) Awards Juror 3 min read
At a conference last year, Ford CEO Jim Farley said that artificial intelligence is "going to replace literally half of all white-collar workers in the US." Just last week, Ford executives said that the automaker had quietly rehired more than 350 of what it internally calls "gray beard" engineers over the past three years to help fix the AI quality-control systems that weren't getting the job done.
Over the last decade, US automakers have cut more than 20,000 jobs, nearly a 20% reduction in workforce between Ford, General Motors and Stellantis combined. While Ford hasn't said for sure how many of these gray beard rehires were originally fired to make way for AI and how many are simply returning retirees, Farley's recent statements on automation-fueled worker replacement certainly paint an awkward picture.
Representatives for Ford and the United Auto Workers union did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Not getting the desired results"Artificial intelligence is a fantastic tool, but it's only as good as the information you use to train it," Charles Poon, Ford's vice-president of vehicle hardware engineering, told reporters last week. "Mistakenly, we thought that by just introducing artificial intelligence and ingesting the design requirements that we had, that would produce a high-quality product."
Kumar Galhotra, Ford chief operating officer, was even more blunt about the realities of AI in manufacturing, saying that Ford had been "relying more and more on automated quality systems and not getting the desired results."
More than a simple oopsie, automation issues have been costing Ford billions in warranty costs and recalls. A study from iSeeCars, an automotive marketplace and research company, ranked recent Ford models among the most recalled vehicles in the industry. Ford's statements and the rehiring of experienced workers are essentially an admission that moving too quickly into AI was a big mistake.
Many major corporations in almost every aspect of tech and manufacturing have been naming artificial intelligence as an excuse for large workforce reductions, often without fully accounting for what gets lost when that human factor walks out the door. Entire industries have been crunching the uncomfortable numbers of replacing human judgment with automated systems, with some even backtracking on their decisions when the true cost of AI proves too high.
Ford CEO Jim Farley has spoken frankly about how AI tech will lead to a drastic reduction in white-collar jobs.
FordWhat happens now?Last week, Ford announced that, for the first time in 16 years, it had captured the number one spot among mainstream brands in JD Power's 2026 Initial Quality Survey, up from tenth last year. The automaker credits the rise, in part, to the contributions of the rehired gray beards. But before you get too excited about the triumph of these modern-day John Henrys over the machines set out to replace them, don't forget what ultimately happened to that folklore hero: He was still replaced by the steam engine.
Galhotra said the rehired specialists -- some former Ford employees, others drawn from industry suppliers -- were brought back specifically to "hunt for failure points before a part ever reaches the plant floor."
Ford isn't abandoning AI. Instead, the returning gray beards are doing two things: training younger staff who never worked alongside those veterans and helping to rebuild the data pipelines that the AI tools run on.
Essentially, they've been brought back to fix and train the automated software systems that replaced them. Ford also said it has built a dedicated 40-person software quality assurance team and added more than 100,000 AI-powered automated tests to catch edge cases late in development.
Technology marches on.
Ford just happened to learn the lesson loudly enough to become a case study, but I don't think it will be the last. There may not always be gray beards to call on to save the day.
Ford Motor Company je téměř 20 % pod květnovým maximem, ale investory může zaujmout nová divize Ford Energy. Ta má od konce roku 2027 ročně instalovat alespoň 20 gigawattů bateriových úložišť.
Ford Motor Company (F 1.87%) is down nearly 20% from its late-May peak. A weak sales report, uncertainty around tariffs, and another recall largely triggered the pullback. The news wasn't great, but Ford has an unrelated catalyst investors should pay attention to.
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Ford Energy, the company's newest endeavor, marks a shift away from a sluggish electric-vehicle segment toward battery energy storage systems (BESS) for utilities, data centers, and large industrial and commercial customers in the U.S. Ford Energy plans to deploy at least 20 gigawatts annually, beginning in late 2027.
Even with Ford Energy's promising outlook, the automaker is still facing substantial headwinds. The EV division will likely post approximately $4 billion in losses this year. As competition increases, the recalls and macroeconomic picture in the U.S. don't make things any easier for the brand.
Image source: Getty Images.
Ford's stock is relatively inexpensive. Its forward P/E ratio is currently less than 10, and with a $0.60 annual dividend, the 4.25% yield is attractive. Ford's longer-term success will be determined by how well its energy division performs.
The demand is there. The BESS market is expected to exceed $160 billion annually by 2034, growing at a nearly 19% CAGR. Ford needs Ford Energy to offset the losses from EVs. If it can achieve that goal, I'd expect patient investors to be rewarded. Still, revenue from Ford Energy won't have a significant impact for at least another year, so patience is required.
Catie Hogan has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Ford v USA svolává 741 195 vozů kvůli vadě převodovky, která může poškodit parkovací systém a způsobit samovolné rozjetí. Dalších 36 046 vozů Bronco svolává kvůli uvolněným lemům blatníků.
Ford is recalling 741,195 vehicles in the US over a transmission defect that can damage the park system, which in turn could result in vehicles rolling away, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Tuesday.
The recall affects certain 2018-2021 Navigator, Expedition, 2020-2021 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, and 2021 F-150 vehicles, the regulator said.
A 2021 Ford F-150. jetcityimage – stock.adobe.com The dealers will update the software, and inspect and replace any damaged transmission components free of charge, as per NHTSA.
Separately, Ford is also recalling 36,046 vehicles of its Bronco model in the US over improperly secured fender flares that can detach from the vehicle, becoming a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash, according to NHTSA.
Fender flares are the curved extensions above the tires that fit around the vehicle’s wheel arches.
The recall affects certain 2018-2021 Navigator, Expedition, 2020-2021 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, and 2021 F-150 vehicles, the regulator said. jetcityimage – stock.adobe.com The dealers will inspect and repair, or replace the fender flares as necessary, free of charge, as part of the recall remedy, NHTSA said.
Ford spouští Ford Energy a přestavuje závod v Glendale v Kentucky na výrobu bateriových úložišť pro datová centra. S EDF Power Solutions uzavřel rámcovou dohodu až za 4 miliardy USD.
One of the biggest bottlenecks for artificial intelligence (AI) data centers right now is power supply. Power grids cannot keep up with the capacity of data centers coming online, and hyperscalers are having to get creative with their power solutions.
Ford Motor Company (F +0.14%) is entering this market by repurposing its electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing footprint to produce battery energy storage systems. The move helps Ford put its battery-making capacity to work as EV support wanes while data center power demand surges. Here's why this trend could supercharge Ford stock in the coming years.
Image source: Getty Images.
Ford's pivot from EV batteries to AI power solutions After over $200 million in manufacturing investments and federal incentives, recent policy rollbacks and shifting consumer preferences have turned the tide for EV manufacturers. With federal tax credits expiring and regulators relaxing emissions standards, automakers that made massive investments in EV infrastructure are now having to pivot.
The build-out of AI data centers presents an opportunity for companies like Ford. That's because these data centers are straining the electricity grid, forcing hyperscalers to seek a variety of energy solutions to meet this growing demand. And because AI workloads require continuous, high-density power, hyperscalers need power solutions that can smooth out sudden load ramp-ups and provide reliable, baseload power 24/7.
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In May, Ford announced the launch of Ford Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary focused on manufacturing utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS). This comes amid slowing consumer adoption of EVs and the company's $19.5 billion write-down of its EV programs last year.
As part of this, Ford will spend $2 billion to repurpose its Glendale, Kentucky, facility, originally a multibillion-dollar EV battery joint venture with SK On, a South Korean EV battery and energy storage systems (ESS) manufacturer. Along with making batteries for EVs, the company will manufacture the Ford Energy DC Block, a 5.45-megawatt-hour containerized grid storage system using stable lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry.
Ford Energy aims to position itself as a domestically based, multi-gigawatt manufacturer of these energy solutions. The company entered a deal with EDF Power Solutions, a five-year framework that could be worth up to $4 billion if all options are exercised. Ford will supply its DC Block system, which EDF will use to power data centers and mitigate renewable intermittency on the U.S. power grid.
Is Ford stock a buy? Looking ahead, the company will retool its manufacturing infrastructure over the next couple of years and expects to begin shipping its BESS systems starting as soon as 2027. The company aims to manufacture and deploy 20 GWh (gigawatt-hours) of energy storage capacity annually. If it succeeds, Ford would add a high-growth energy and infrastructure business that could provide a steady revenue stream for assembling, managing, and servicing its BESS systems.
Automakers have historically commanded low to mid-single-digit price-to-earnings multiples due to cyclical consumer demand, low margins, and heavy capital expenditure. If Ford Energy succeeds in securing deals and scaling its energy business, the stock could warrant a valuation rerating. Given the robust demand for power solutions and the recent 20% decline from its recent high, I think Ford is a compelling stock to consider.
Ford znovu najal 350 zkušených inženýrů poté, co automatizované systémy a AI nedosáhly požadované kvality. Automobilka letos čeká úsporu nákladů ve výši 1 miliardy USD.
Image Credits:Bloomberg / Getty Images Ford executives said they have hired 350 veteran engineers — some of them were former employees, while others had been working at suppliers — after artificial intelligence and automated systems failed to deliver the desired quality level.
Bloomberg reports the company’s chief operating officer Kumar Galhotra told journalists that Ford had been “relying more and more on automated quality systems” with disappointing results. So the company “brought back technical specialists,” and those specialists “hunt for failure points before a part ever reaches the plant floor.”
Charles Poon, Ford’s vice president of vehicle hardware engineering, added, “Mistakenly we thought that by just introducing artificial intelligence and ingesting the design requirements that we had, that that would produce a high-quality product.”
To be clear, this doesn’t mean Ford is abandoning its AI plans entirely. Instead, it’s using the rehired employees — referred to as “gray beard” engineers — to train younger staff and reprogram AI tools.
This rehiring seems to be paying off, with Ford anticipating that it will lead to $1 billion in reduced costs this year. The automaker also claimed the top spot among mainstream brands in the JD Power Initial Quality Survey released this week.
Ford přiznal, že samotná AI nestačila k vyřešení problémů s kvalitou, a proto znovu najal asi 350 zkušených technických specialistů. Firma je zapojila do revizí návrhů a mentorování mladších inženýrů.
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Ford scored a big quality award on Thursday. The company is praising veteran workers. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Ford staged a quality comeback. The automaker credits part of the turnaround to pairing AI with something more old-school: veteran engineers.
Executives at Ford told reporters this week that the company had hired, promoted, or brought back about 350 experienced technical specialists as part of a sweeping effort to fix vehicle-quality problems. Those engineering veterans have helped mentor younger staff, lead design reviews, and improve the AI and automated quality tools Ford uses to catch defects before vehicles reach customers, they said.
They also offered a striking admission: AI and automation were not enough on their own.
"Artificial intelligence is a fantastic tool, but it's only as good as information you use to train it," Charles Poon, Ford's vice president of vehicle hardware engineering, said. "Mistakenly, we thought that by just introducing artificial intelligence and ingesting the design requirements that we had, that would produce a high-quality product."
Poon said Ford had not done enough in prior years to preserve the knowledge of its most experienced engineers, some of whom left the company before their expertise was fully integrated into Ford's systems. He said quality problems often showed up at the boundaries between teams, where design, manufacturing, software, and hardware collide.
Quality win, recall hangover
Ford just improved its standing in one of the auto industry's biggest yearly tests. Bill Pugliano/Getty Images The comments came as Ford celebrated a major milestone.
Consumer data analytics firm JD Power named Ford the top mass-market brand in its latest initial-quality study, trailing only Porsche and Genesis overall, according to the study released Thursday. Ford narrowly beat Lexus, which has long been one of the strongest performers in the rankings.
That's a big turnaround. Just three years ago, Ford ranked 15th out of 25 major automakers in the same study.
For years, Ford has faced headwinds on its product quality. In 2025, Ford issued 152 recalls, nearly doubling the previous record set by General Motors in 2014 with 77 safety bulletins.
As of Thursday, Ford had issued 51 recalls this year, according to the NHTSA's dashboard. That's still more than double Chrysler, the next-closest automaker, which had issued 19.
Ford executives said many of the continued recall issues are tied to vehicles and platforms designed between 2013 and 2020, calling recalls a "lagging indicator." They framed the JD Power win as proof that a new approach is taking hold, and said internal data shows "clear improvement" in newer vehicles.
Still, the initial-quality study measures problems in new vehicles, not long-term durability, making it an early signal rather than a full verdict on whether Ford has solved its recall problem.
Ford says it changed how it catches problems
Ford says it's been making manufacturing quality improvements since 2023. Bloomberg/Getty Images Ford launched its quality reset in 2023.
In that time, Kumar Galhotra, Ford's COO, said the company has more than doubled its technical specialist population. Those specialists now lead mandatory design reviews and look for failure points before parts ever reach the plant floor.
"They hunt for failure points before a part ever reaches the plant floor," he said.
The company also created an industrial system team to bring engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain closer together. Before that approach, Galhotra said Ford had previously relied too heavily on a "find and fix" approach — identifying problems after they appeared and trying to resolve them quickly.
Now, Ford says it is trying to prevent problems before they happen.
Ford previously told Business Insider that it had developed two bespoke AI-enhanced scanning tools that helped validate that cars were properly assembled before rolling off the lot. The tools, called AiTriz and MAIVs, both debuted in 2024.
While Ford has previously said the tools are helping improve product quality, the company did not say whether the 350 specialists worked directly on them.
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Ben Shimkus is a reporter for the Business News desk. He writes about cars, transportation, retail, and jobs. Ben's reporting has appeared in Rolling Stone, The Verge, Automotive News, USA Today, AutoBody News, LGBTQ Nation, TopSpeed, and Out Magazine. He's also held staff writing positions at The U.S. Sun and the Daily Mail. He graduated from NYU with a Master's in journalism in 2024. Email Ben at [email protected] or message him privately on Signal at bshimkus.41.
Ford spouští Ford Energy a podle Morgan Stanley by mohl do roku 2030 vygenerovat až 500 milionů USD v provozním zisku. První dodávky mají začít v roce 2028.
Ford (F 0.36%) made a big move in May when it announced plans to launch an energy storage business called Ford Energy.
Ford stock soared 47% last month mostly on the news of the company's new endeavor, and investors are likely excited by analysts' predictions that the new business could generate $500 million in operating profit for Ford by 2030.
With this new entry storage business about to launch, is now the time to buy Ford stock? Here's why investors may want to hold off on making that move.
Image source: Getty Images.
Ford is tapping into increasing energy usage from AI Artificial intelligence (AI) is fueling rising demand for energy storage, and Barclays analyst Dan Levy recently said that Ford is a "hidden data center beneficiary."
Automakers invested tens of billions of dollars over the past several years to convert factories for electric vehicle (EV) production. The problem, as it turned out, is that rising EV material costs, lower-than-expected demand, and tariffs have caused many companies to abandon their most ambitious EV goals. The federal government eliminating EV tax credits didn't help either.
The result is that Ford's losses from its EV division add up to $16 billion over the past few years -- and management says it will continue losing money on EVs for the next three years.
Which is why Ford is trying to recoup some of its battery and EV tech investments.
Its announcement last month that it would shift some of its EV battery factories to make battery storage excited investors. The goal is for Ford to produce up to 20 gigawatts of capacity over the next five years, with battery deliveries starting in 2028.
Ford CEO Jim Farley told the Detroit Free Press last month that the company is already seeing "tremendous interest from customers," adding, "[W]e're off to a good start both on the supply side, building the plants, building the cells, getting the machines up and running, as well as the demand creation side."
Ford will invest $2 billion in the business to get things up and running.
Analysts at Morgan Stanley said Ford Energy could generate $500 million in operating profit by 2030. The analysts also believe Ford could sign supply agreements with commercial customers in the coming months.
That may be a drop in the bucket compared to Ford's earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of nearly $6.8 billion last year. Still, investors are excited to see the company thinking outside of the traditional automotive box and embracing new revenue opportunities.
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It could be a smart move, but it's too early to bet on Ford Energy It's a bit surprising and a little concerning that Ford stock rose so high last month simply on the news of Ford Energy.
The automaker's energy business has no profit and no revenue to date. Instead, investors were excited that Ford is doing something AI-adjacent.
There needs to be higher standards than that for buying a stock, though. It's noteworthy that Ford is moving into the energy storage business, and it's commendable that the automaker is thinking of new ways to repurpose some of the battery investments it made for its EVs.
But it will be a couple of years before deliveries begin, which means it'll be that long (or even longer) before investors see any potential profits from Ford Energy.
So, no, Ford stock is not a buy just because it's investing in energy storage for data centers. The share price surge is more of a symptom of investors believing that anything AI-related is an automatic success.
Instead, Ford shareholders should be more concerned with how the company manages costs and improves vehicle sales. The company experienced a tough year in 2025, with a net loss of $8.2 billion due to a $19.5 billion write-down related to its EV restructuring.
Selling some batteries that bring in $500 million in operating profit four or so years from now certainly is not the fix some investors think it is.
Ford zvýšil celoroční upravený výhled EBIT na 8,5–10,5 miliardy USD díky silnému Ford Pro a vyšším maržím. Stellantis naopak čelí tlaku nákladů na suroviny a snižovaným odhadům EPS.
Key Takeaways Ford is favored for stronger execution, improving earnings outlook and profitable growth drivers.F raised 2026 adjusted EBIT guidance as Ford Pro and higher-margin vehicles support results.Stellantis faces raw material cost pressure, lower EPS revisions and weaker recent share performance. Both the leading automakers, Ford Motor Company (F - Free Report) and Stellantis N.V. (STLA - Free Report) , have recently announced strategic partnerships to strengthen their respective long-term growth.
On May 18, 2026, Ford Energy signed a five-year agreement with EDF Group to supply up to 20 GWh of battery energy storage systems for U.S. grid-scale projects beginning in 2028.
On June 17, 2026, Stellantis announced a partnership with Wayve and Uber Technologies to accelerate the global deployment of Level 4 autonomous robotaxis by combining vehicle platforms, AI driving technology and ride-hailing capabilities.
While both automakers appear well-positioned for sustained growth, let’s dig deeper into their fundamentals to get a clearer perspective on which company currently holds the stronger competitive advantage.
The Case for Ford StockFord Pro remains a key growth engine, supported by demand for commercial vehicles and expanding software and physical services. In the first quarter of 2026, paid software subscriptions rose 30% year over year to 879,000, reinforcing the shift toward higher recurring revenues. The company expects 2026 Ford Pro EBIT of $6.5-$7.5 billion compared with $6.84 billion in 2025, which keeps the segment central to Ford’s longer-term earnings mix.
Ford’s strategy of emphasizing higher-margin vehicles and trims appears to be working. The strong demand for trucks, large SUVs, off-road trims and hybrids with richer margins is improving profitability. Off-road performance trims, such as Raptor and Tremor, now account for nearly one-quarter of U.S. sales, while Ford also reported improved mix within Explorer, Expedition and F-Series.
Ford maintained lower incentive spending than competitors while still achieving strong transaction prices and retail share gains. This suggests healthier pricing discipline compared with prior industry cycles. The company’s focus on “profit pillars” rather than low-margin volume growth could help sustain earnings even if industry demand moderates over time. For the full year, Ford raised its overall adjusted EBIT guidance to $8.5-$10.5 billion, up from previous guidance of $8-$10 billion.
However, Ford continues to fund modernization, connectivity and new product programs while expanding electrification and services. The company expects 2026 capital expenditures of $9.5-$10.5 billion, up from $8.8 billion in 2025. With additional spending tied to EV development and interim supply-chain costs, cash conversion can remain uneven through the cycle.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for F’s 2026 EPS implies year-over-year growth of 50.5%. EPS estimates for 2026 and 2027 have improved by 4 cents and 2 cents, respectively, in the past 30 days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Case for Stellantis StockIndustrial costs remain a tailwind for Stellantis, supported by higher production volumes, improved manufacturing efficiency and ongoing product cost optimization initiatives. For 2026, Stellantis projects mid-single-digit revenue growth, a low-single-digit adjusted operating income margin and year-over-year improvement in industrial free cash flow.
On May 21, 2026, Stellantis launched its FaSTLAne 2030 strategy, outlining a €60 billion five-year plan aimed at accelerating growth, improving profitability and enhancing shareholder returns. The company targets revenue growth from €154 billion in 2025 to €190 billion by 2030, a 7% adjusted operating income margin by 2030, positive industrial free cash flow in 2027 rising to €6 billion by 2030, and €6 billion in annualized cost savings by 2028 through its Value Creation Program.
Stellantis also expanded its collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies to integrate Snapdragon Digital Chassis chips with its STLA Brain software platform, strengthening cockpit, connectivity and ADAS capabilities while supporting faster product launches, continuous software upgrades and greater cost efficiency through platform standardization.
Stellantis launched its affordable E-Car project, with production expected to begin in 2028. The fully electric vehicle targets Europe's shrinking affordable small-car segment and will feature advanced BEV technology developed with partners to enhance affordability and accelerate commercialization.
However, Stellantis continues to face significant raw material cost volatility. Based on prevailing market prices, the net impact after hedging could approach 1% of annual revenues, with raw material costs potentially adding more than €1 billion in expenses during 2026.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for STLA’s 2026 EPS implies year-over-year growth of 214.6%. EPS estimates for 2026 and 2027 have fallen 4 cents and 12 cents, respectively, in the past 30 days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Price Performance of F & STLAIn the last six months, shares of Stellantis have plunged 42.5%, while Ford shares have risen 5.8%. While F has outperformed the Zacks auto sector, Stellantis has underperformed the same.
6-Month Price Performance Comparison
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
ConclusionFord is delivering profitable growth through its high-margin Ford Pro business, favorable vehicle mix, disciplined pricing strategy and improving earnings outlook. Ford is also set to benefit from upward EPS estimate revisions and positive share price momentum.
On the other hand, Stellantis' long-term growth depends on ambitious strategic initiatives that are still in the early stages. Also, Stellantis faces downward earnings revisions, raw material cost pressures and weaker stock performance.
Although Ford and Stellantis carry a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) each at present, Ford appears to be the stronger investment choice based on its current execution and earnings visibility. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Kanadský odborový svaz Unifor zahájil jednání s Fordem o nové smlouvě pro téměř 19 000 členů trojice automobilek z Detroitu. Cílem je vyšší mzda, jistota práce a benefity.
A Ford logo on a Ford F-150 pickup truck for sale in Encinitas, California, U.S. October 20, 2025. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab
CompaniesDETROIT, June 22 (Reuters) - Canadian auto union Unifor began negotiations with Ford Motor (F.N), opens new tab on Monday, commencing talks on new contracts with the so-called Detroit Three of Ford, General Motors (GM.N), opens new tab and Stellantis (STLAM.MI), opens new tab to try to improve pay, job security and benefits for its nearly 19,000 members at those companies.
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Existing collective agreements between Unifor and the Detroit Three automakers expire on September 20.
The union began the negotiations with Ford because the automaker has been most committed to continuing its operations in Canada, the union said.
Unifor set a deadline of July 10 to reach a deal with Ford, which it will then take to the other two automakers.
The union said it has begun talks earlier than usual because economic conditions are unlikely to improve in the coming months and could worsen.
Canada faces significant U.S. tariffs pending negotiations around the future of the U.S.-Canada-Mexico trade agreement.
Nearly 6,000 workers have been laid off across plants owned by the three automakers as the companies have shifted or paused production at several facilities.
Reporting by Nora Eckert in Detroit Editing by David Goodman
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab
Nora Eckert reports on the automotive industry from Detroit. She covers Ford, GM, Stellantis and the United Auto Workers, with a focus on the industry's transition to EVs. She was previously a reporter for The Wall Street Journal in Detroit, where she broke news on major automakers and the UAW. She was earlier part of a WSJ investigations team that was recognized as a finalist for the 2021 Pulitzer Prize. Nora began her career as an investigative reporter with the Rochester Post Bulletin in Minnesota, where she focused on the state's organ transplant system and prisons.
