WASHINGTON, April 4 (Reuters) - Ford Motor ( F ) said

Thursday it had delayed the planned launches of three-row EVs in

Canada and its next-generation electric pickup truck in

Tennessee as the slowdown in EV demand globally forces

automakers to revise production plans.

Ford said separately it was boosting hybrid electric vehicle

offerings and by 2030 expects to offer hybrid powertrains across

its lineup of gas-powered vehicles.

"We are committed to scaling a profitable EV business, using

capital wisely and bringing to market the right gas, hybrid and

fully electric vehicles at the right time," Ford CEO Jim Farley

said.

Ford, which lost nearly $4.7 billion on its EV business in

2023, said in February the next generation of EVs will be

launched "only when they can be profitable." Shares were up 1.8%

in premarket trading on the news.

The Dearborn automaker said it would push back the launch of

the new large EV SUV that it will build at its assembly complex

in Oakville, Ontario to 2027 from 2025 to "will allow for the

consumer market for three-row EVs to further develop and enable

Ford to take advantage of emerging battery technology."

Separately, Ford said it will delay deliveries of an all-new

EV truck it will build at a new plant in western Tennessee until

2026. Ford said last year it planned to begin production in late

2025 and build up to 500,000 electric trucks annually at the

plant.

Ford plans to begin customer deliveries of the new truck in

2026 and gradually ramp up production to help assure quality.

Ford Chief Financial Office John Lawler told investors last

year Ford would delay some of its planned multibillion-dollar

investment in new EV and battery production capacity.

The announcement comes just two weeks after the

Environmental Protection Agency softened EV requirements

starting in 2027 over its initial proposal and further

incentivized plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Ford had promised to retool the Ontario plant to make EVs

during contract bargaining in 2020 with Canada's Unifor union.

Ford said Thursday the overhaul of the Oakville assembly plant

is set to begin in the second quarter of this year as planned.

General Motors ( GM ) said in October it would delay

production of electric pickup trucks at its plant in Michigan's

Orion Township by a year.