Starting in 2028, the next generation of the F-53/F-59 chassis will be designed and commercialized by Blue Bird with Ford powertrains

Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ:BLBD), the leader in low and zero emission school buses, today announced a new collaboration to expand its commercial vehicle presence. As part of this initiative, Blue Bird has entered into a definitive agreement with Ford Motor Company to create the next generation of F-53/F-59 commercial stripped chassis. Under the agreement, Blue Bird will assume responsibility for the design, manufacturing, and sales of the next generation F-53/F-59 commercial stripped chassis, which will be paired with Ford’s powertrain solutions.

To accelerate the launch of the next generation chassis, Blue Bird will acquire the Detroit Assembly Plant assets of Detroit Chassis LLC (DCP) who is the long-time manufacturer of Ford's F-53 and F-59 stripped chassis platforms.

The collaboration between Ford and Blue Bird is expected to build on the complementary strengths of both organizations and support the continued evolution of commercial stripped chassis offerings, with new production anticipated to begin early in 2028.