Ford F-150 Lightning: Orders increased sixfold!

Amazing news from the USA: The recent price cut for the electric F-150 Lightning has led to a sixfold increase in orders, according to Ford! And this is in the pickup segment, which is typically dominated by conservative buyers. Depending on the version, the electric pickup now costs up to $10,000 less. The new base price for the F-150 Lightning is $49,995, which is approximately €44,450. This led to a factory upgrade: After a six-week break, production of the F-150 Lightning at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Michigan has now resumed. During the break, the automaker upgraded and expanded the plant to increase production capacity.

Capacity at the plant tripled

By fall 2023, Ford aims to triple the production capacity for the F-150 Lightning to 150,000 units per year. In 2023, 70,000 models are expected to be assembled there. To support this, the production of battery packs at the Rawsonville Components Plant and electric drives at the Electric Powertrain Center Van Dyke will also be increased accordingly.

The modernization benefits the River Rouge site

The modernization has automated part of the production at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, such as the measurement and validation of body panel fit. According to Ford, it is the first time the company has used such equipment in a North American plant. Additionally, Ford added a third station to automatically check the alignment and adjustment of the headlights for the driver assistance systems. Over the next three weeks, 1,200 new employees will be trained.

With the capacity expansion, order and delivery times are to be shortened. Ford is focusing on the production of highly demanded equipment variants such as the XLT, which according to Ford accounts for more than 50 percent of new orders. A limited number of E-pickups of the F-150 Lightning Pro type are available for reservation holders.

“We are all looking forward to getting these F-150 Lightning pickups into the hands of our customers – from the USA to Norway,” says Debbie Manzano, Production Director at Ford, adding that this will allow the company to expand the number of equipment variants offered to “meet the wishes of the customers.”