Ford doubles F-150 Lightning production numbers
Ford is to have doubled production targets for the electric version of its F-150 pickup truck ahead of the market launch in spring 2022. According to a news report, the second-largest US carmaker is now aiming for annual production of more than 80,000 vehicles in 2024.
Referring to information from insiders, Reuters writes that the increased production targets are quite simply due to the strong demand for the electric model – especially from commercial customers. According to the news agency, the new production targets for the coming years are as follows: Ford aims to produce 15,000 units of the F-150 Lightning in 2022, a total of 55,000 in 2023 and the aforementioned 80,000 in 2024. Until numbers were increased, the production of only 40,000 electric pickups was planned for 2024.
Ford is planning additional investments of 850 million dollars, the equivalent of about 725 million euros, for the upwardly revised targets. In addition, the unnamed sources told Reuters that following the market launch of the second generation of the Ford F-150 Lightning at the end of 2025, the target for annual production is to rise again just under 160,000 units. This second generation is expected to be the first pickup on Ford’s new TE1 platform. Scheduled for 2022, the predecessor will still be based on an architecture strongly oriented towards the F-150.
According to official Ford figures, the number of customer reservations for the first generation of the e-pickup has now climbed to 120,000. Just twelve hours after its unveiling in May, Ford CEO Jim Farley reported receiving 20,000 reservations for the model.
The F-150 Lightning is scheduled to go on sale in spring 2022 with all-wheel drive only, as well as two battery options for 230 or 300 miles of range. That is the equivalent of about 370 and 480 kilometres of the estimated EPA range, respectively. The model’s power output is 318 kW in the standard version, while the more powerful models come up to 420 kW and 1,050 Nm of torque. According to Ford, this should allow the e-pickup to move a payload of 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms) and a towing capacity of 10,000 pounds (4.53 tonnes). We already reported in detail other features of the Lightning when the model was unveiled in May.
The pickup will be sold through more than 2,300 EV-certified Ford dealers in the US. Prices for the F-150 Lightning start at a surprisingly low $39,974 before subsidies. The XLT trim is said to be available from $52,974, with the top-of-the-line model expected to cost around $90,000. Interested parties have been able to reserve the vehicle since May for a down payment of 100 dollars.
Ford is aiming for a 40 per cent share of purely electric cars by 2030 – on a global level. In Europe, the brand already wants to sell only pure electric cars in this target year. Conversely, this means that with 100 per cent BEVs in Europe, the other sales regions, including the USA, are likely to be below 40 per cent in the plans. Nevertheless, Ford is one of the car companies that announced earlier this month that it wants to achieve between 40 and 50 per cent of its sales in the USA with BEVs, PHEVs and FCEVs by 2030. Ford has also agreed with SK Innovation to set up a joint venture to produce battery cells and modules for use in the US carmaker’s electric vehicles.
Ford has adjusted its financial planning accordingly: In May, the company announced its intention to increase its spending on electrification by more than a third to over 30 billion dollars by 2030.
Reporting by Cora Werwitzke
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