Report: Ford to halve Lightning production in 2024
Ford has dropped the latest shoe into the controversy that has several manufacturers dialing back production plans for electric vehicles. Automotive News reported on Monday that Ford is cutting its production outlook for the Ford Lightning by half in 2024.
“According to a planning memo obtained by Automotive News, Ford has told suppliers to prepare for average volume of around 1,600 Lightnings a week at its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Mich., starting in January. It had planned to assemble an average of 3,200 a week, toward an annual goal of 150,000,” said the publication.
In a statement, Ford didn’t deny the report, saying that it will “continue to match production to customer demand.” Production of gas-powered pickups at factories in Missouri and Michigan is expected to be “essentially unchanged,” Ford told Automotive News, suggesting that it isn’t a downturn in pickup truck demand, only a downturn in demand for electric-powered models.
In July, Ford cut prices on the Lightning by about $6000-$10,000 to accelerate demand. Ford sold fewer than 5000 Lightning pickups in November.
Whether or not this development is related or not is unclear, but this news comes on the heels of Tesla’s electric Cybertruck first-delivery event that occurred at its factory in Texas. General Motors and Ram are also gearing up to sell electric pickups after a relatively slow start; GM, in fact, pushed back the introduction of its Chevrolet and GMC electric trucks until 2025. Ohio-based Lordstown, manufacturer of the Endurance electric pickup, never got mass production off the ground before the company ran out of funds.
While EV sales may be gaining strength slower than predicted, they are indeed increasing. Cox Automotive reported that third-quarter EV sales exceeded 300,000 for the first time in the U.S. market.
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This was never Fords Long term deal. They were behind on their EV platform so they converted a truck to be EV. This was just old tech in how it was done and they will mirror Ram and GM on a EV platform for future trucks.
The ownership experience for a few has definitely not been impressive. It’s such a compromised vehicle in every way.
The ownership experience for many, many others has been impressive. It’s superior to the gas version for many use cases, but not the right choice for long-distance towing.
Gee, Amazing how history continues to repeat itself. The downfall of the all electric vehicle has forever been the lack of distance and how fast they can be recharged. Sure they are getting better, but do you really want to be stuck in one at a recharging station (or waiting in line) while trying to outrun a hurricane in
Florida (etc).
The new Dodge Ram Hybrid is the only one I would consider but that could also be improved. The answer has been around for decades. Use a small constant running diesel generator for great mileage and simplicity.
We will never see that in a mass produced vehicle
I’d rather have a Lightning than a gas truck in a Hurricane scenario. Gas can be hard to come by in the lead-up to a Hurricane with everyone hoarding gas. Electricity though? Readily available. And the Lightning could power a fridge/internet/lights for ~10 days in the event of a long power outage, and still have ~100 miles of rang left after 10 days.
The market has spoken.
Ford is planning to sell 75k in 2024. They’re selling 50k/yr rate right now. So, the market has spoken that they want more Lightnings if you look at the actual numbers and not misleading headlines.
It’s important to listen to your customers. If you don’t, then pretty soon there will be no customers.
When a truck can only tow 100 miles at a time and then has to recharge it is a joke. And power your house – for an hour maybe. The tech is not there and won’t be for a while. 300,000 EV’s – out of how many million vehicles? Battery tech must increase by huge amounts – both speed of rechage and charge stations. Around towm – a case can be made, but for distance – not yet.
“And power your house – for an hour maybe.”
LOL, you have absolutely zero idea what you’re talking about. 100kWh used in an hour? The average home uses ~28 kWh per 24 hours, so at normal consumption, 100kWh (smallest Lightning battery) could power your home for 72 times as long as you claim, and you’d probably be conserving energy if there was a power outage to stretch that even further.