Ford resumes production of the F-150 Lightning
Ford has resumed production of its F-150 Lightning at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Michigan after a six-week break. The automaker had retooled and expanded the plant during the break to increase production capacity for the electric pickup.
Ford is aiming to triple the production rate for the electric pickup to 150,000 units by autumn 2023. In 2023 alone, 70,000 vehicles are to come off the production line there. To achieve this, the production of battery packs at the Rawsonville component plant and of electric drives at the Electric Powertrain Center Van Dyke will also be increased accordingly.
The modernisation effort has automated some of the manufacturing at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Centre, such as measuring and validating the fit of the body. According to Ford, this is the first time the company has used such equipment in a North American plant. A third station has also been added to check wheel alignment and headlight alignment for driver assistance systems. Furthermore, 1,200 new employees will be trained over the next three weeks.
With the capacity expansion, Ford aims to shorten order and delivery times for customers and is focusing on the production of high-demand trim levels such as the XLT, which the carmaker says account for more than 50 per cent of new orders. A limited number of F-150 Lightning Pro electric pickup trucks are available to reservation holders, it said.
“We are all looking forward to getting these F-150 Lightning pickups into the hands of our customers – from the US to Norway,” said Debbie Manzano, Ford’s director of manufacturing. “This milestone is the result of hard work and collaboration.”
The recent significant price reduction for the F-150 Lightning has led to a six-fold increase in orders, according to Ford. That’s another reason why the modernisation of the Michigan plant is timely. It also opens up the possibility of “expanding the number of trim levels offered to meet customers’ needs”.
“We have learned a lot from our first-ever EV truck customers, including a preference for technology and visual differentiation,” says Marin Gjaja, chief customer officer, Model e. “We continue to refine the F-150 Lightning lineup to make the jump to an EV truck an easy choice for customers.”
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