Can Ford's F-Series and Super Duty Ramp Offset the Novelis Impact?

Core Insights - Ford is addressing production disruptions caused by the Novelis fire and plans to increase F-Series pickup production significantly in 2026, adding over 50,000 units starting in Q1'26 [1][4] Production Plans - At the Dearborn Truck Plant, Ford will introduce a third crew to target an additional 45,000 F-150 units in 2026, reallocating workers from the paused F-150 Lightning plant [2] - The Kentucky Truck Plant will increase assembly line speed by one job per hour, resulting in over 5,000 extra Super Duty trucks annually, alongside hiring more than 100 new workers and investing $60 million in training and upgrades [3][7] Financial Performance - Ford's management highlighted strong demand and firm pricing for full-size pickups during the Q3 earnings call, indicating the importance of the F-Series lineup to overall profitability [4] - Ford's stock has gained 16% over the past three months, underperforming General Motors and outperforming Toyota [5] Valuation Metrics - Ford trades at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 0.33, which is below the industry average, and carries a Value Score of A, compared to General Motors at 0.37 and Toyota at 0.82 [7]