GM Boosts Truck Production As Ford F-150 Shortage Opens A Door

Home of the Truck

America is a truck nation. Despite all the trends and factors that have shifted mobility for everyone, the USA loves its pickups. To properly compete in that segment, it not only needs to perform well but also to maintain a steady supply.

Unfortunately, for one of the biggest players in the pickup scene, supply hasn't been easy, as production has been slowed by an issue with a supplier. Ford's struggle with F-150 production is due to a supplier issue, giving GM a chance to make up ground and capitalize on it.

GM Wants More Trucks

In a report by Automotive News, General Motors wants to boost its pickup inventory to catch up on demand and take advantage of Ford's current production slowdown. According to automotive analyst David Whitson, GM's desire to fill its inventory is a prudent move, since supply isn't meeting demand just yet, but he confirms that GM can rise to the occasion when Ford can't.

Paul Jacobson, CFO of GM, said they fell 9% in pickup supply in Q1 compared to the same period last year. While it seems small, it's still notable since most automakers experienced a pre-tariffs sales boost in Q1 of 2025.

Jacobson echoes the general consensus that leaner inventory restricted sales, prompting them to boost production of key models while keeping a watchful eye on demand as the year progresses.

GM says the lower inventory was due to factory downtime to accommodate production of the next-generation heavy-duty truck and a strong sales finish in 2025. With the factory retooling nearly complete, GM expects production and inventory to improve this quarter. They are also reallocating trucks meant for the Middle East market back into the U.S.

Getting Market Share

GM's production boost plan, as mentioned, is also one way for them to take some market share away from the leading F-150, with Ford struggling to keep up with demand as supply has dropped by 40% since a fire at their supplier, Novelis, disrupted production.

It is expected that not only GM will benefit from this, but Ram is also looking to take advantage since they haven't had any issues with production and inventory supply thus far.

Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 6:30 AM.