Ford pauses delivery of the new F-150 Lightning

The new model year of the F-150 Lightning has been available to order since September 2023 and has been handed over to customers since January. However, as reported by Reuters, deliveries of the 2024 model have now been stopped. According to the report, the reason is quality controls due to an unspecified problem. According to the manufacturer, the delivery stop came into effect on 9 February. The duration is not known.

It was only in January that Ford announced a reduction in production for its all-electric pickup truck. From 1 April, the model in Dearborn will therefore only be produced in single-shift operation. A few months ago, there were still three shifts. Last month, Ford stated that it expects further growth in global electric car sales in 2024 – but at a lower rate than expected. The US car manufacturer also pointed out that it is already preparing for the introduction of the next generation of electric cars.

The F-150 Lightning rolls off the production line at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Centre in Dearborn. According to Ford, the production cuts will affect around 1,400 employees. “Approximately 700 will transfer to the Michigan Assembly Plant, while the others will be assigned to the Rouge Complex or other plants in Southeast Michigan or will take advantage of the Special Retirement Incentive Programme agreed to in the Ford-UAW 2023 contract,” the company wrote. The extensive transfer of personnel to the Michigan Assembly Plant can be explained by the fact that Ford is planning to increase the output of its combustion engine models in parallel with the production cutbacks for its e-pickup.

Ford President and CEO Jim Farley says his company is using its production flexibility to offer customers choice while balancing growth and profitability. “Customers love the F-150 Lightning, America’s best-selling electric pickup. We see a bright future for electric vehicles for certain consumers, especially with our upcoming digitally advanced EVs and access to the Tesla charging network beginning this quarter.”

Farley therefore only considers electric vehicles to be attractive for certain target groups and more likely in the near to medium future. In December, there were reports that Ford would halve production figures for its F-150 Lightning electric pickup. According to an insider, only around 1,600 instead of 3,200 units per week were to roll off the production line in Dearborn from January 2024 due to subdued demand. Now it turns out that the cutback will take place, but not until 1 April.

Ford already had to suspend production of its F-150 Lightning last summer. The Group was only able to resume production at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Centre at the beginning of August after a six-week break. In mid-October, however, the US car manufacturer cancelled the first of three shifts due to “various restrictions, including supply chain issues.”

At the end of October, Ford announced that it would be postponing some of its planned multi-billion investments in new production capacities for electric vehicles and batteries. The first concrete consequences are already known: Ford will be implementing its LFP battery cell factory in the USA on a much smaller scale than originally designed. The US company is also cancelling plans for a battery plant for electric commercial vehicles planned with LG Energy Solution and Koç in Turkey. A planned second battery factory on a new campus in Kentucky is also affected by the cost-cutting measures.

When presenting its Q3 business figures, Ford announced that it would only gradually implement several planned investments in view of a billion-euro loss in the Model e electric division and weaker demand. “Many North American customers who are interested in buying an electric vehicle are not willing to pay a premium over petrol or hybrid vehicles, which is putting significant pressure on the price and profitability of electric vehicles,” the manufacturer said a few weeks ago.

The construction of Blue Oval City – Ford’s new EV production campus in Tennessee – will continue without change, but other projects – such as those mentioned above – will be postponed or put on hold.

Update 18 April 2024

Ford has reopened orders for its F-150 Lightning electric pickup, after pausing deliveries earlier this year. The F-150 Lightning received price cuts of up to $5,500 on certain trims.

Specifically, the ‘Flash’ trim is the only trim available with the $5,500 discount, while the ‘Lariat’ benefits from a $2,500 rebate and the ‘XLT’ trim is discounted by $2,000. The ‘Pro’, ‘Platinim’ and ‘Platinum Black’ trims remain at their old prices, marking the entry and top-range models from the lineup.

reuters.com, ford.com, electrek.co (both update)