The Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck may end up as a flash in the pan rather than the company’s next Model T, as it was once billed.
Sources have told The Wall Street Journal Ford executives are reportedly considering axing F-150 Lightning due to slow sales and heavy losses.
Production of the F-150 Lightning has been paused indefinitely since mid-October after a fire at an aluminium factory in upstate New York.
Unlike other full-size utes, the F-150’s body is made from aluminium, and with one of Ford’s key suppliers now offline until well into 2026, it has prioritised production of the F-150’s hugely profitable petrol and hybrid models. In addition to halting Lightning production, it is moving those employees to plants making petrol and hybrid F-150 pickups.
In October Kumar Galhotra, Ford’s chief operating officer, told the media, “Whenever we’re ready, we’ll crank [production of the F-150 Lightning] back up”. But, it’s possible, this may never happen.
A US federal government tax rebate of up to US$7500 (A$11,500) for electric vehicles ended on September 30, which brought forward a lot of EV purchases.
While some manufacturer have cut prices quite dramatically in the aftermath, and some states still offer their own EV tax rebates, it’s widely expected that EV sales will fall, especially at the higher of the market.
This is the space the F-150 Lightning occupies, as the range is priced from US$54,780 (A$84,500), a substantial jump from the base petrol F-150, which has a sticker price of US$37,450 (A$57,700).
According to Ford Authority, the Blue Oval has a sold a total of 663,933 F-Series trucks in the States through to the end of October, with the F-150 Lightning accounting for just 24,577 or 3.7 per cent of that figure.
Rival GM is reportedly considering the futures of its Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC Sierra EV, and GMC Hummer EV pickup trucks, all of which are suffering from similarly slow sales.
After multiple delays, Ram cancelled development of its all-electric 1500 REV pickup truck, preferring to concentrate its engineering resources on the upcoming EREV (extended range EV) version of the 1500.
In August this year, Ford announced the Universal EV Platform. The first vehicle on this architecture is a Ranger-sized ute that’s scheduled to go on sale in the US in 2027. Pricing for this vehicle, possibly named Ranchero, will start from US$30,000 (A$46,300).
While Ford’s Australian showrooms stock F-150s that are locally converted to right-hand drive, the company doesn’t officially offer the Lightning Down Under. Queensland-based outfit AusEV has taken up the slack,locally remanufacturing and selling the Lightning.