Ford F-150 Lightning production to double amid high customer demand

It was only about three months ago when Ford unveiled the F-150 Lightning but the fully electric pickup truck has already generated quite a lot of interest from customers. So much so that the Blue Oval is happy to report more than 120,000 reservations have been made already, which could warrant a change of plan regarding production.

Automotive News has it on good authority the Blue Oval will make adjustments to the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan to double the production output of the Lightning. According to the yet-to-be-confirmed plan, Ford will assemble roughly 15,000 electric trucks in 2022 before ramping up annual production to 55,000 units in 2023.

The report stipulates Ford will be able to put together no fewer than 80,000 electric F-150s in 2024, which is twice as much as originally planned. The company has already vowed to invest $700 million to prepare the factory for the Lightning’s arrival, but boosting production will require an additional $850 million, according to Automotive News.

While the F-150 Lightning won’t hit the market until 2022, it is believed Ford is already planning a second generation slated to arrive towards the end of 2025. It’s a known fact the first-gen model is essentially an electric adaptation of the conventionally powered truck, but the follow-up model is likely to ride on the TE1 platform, a dedicated electric architecture for large trucks and SUVs.

For the time being, all eyes are on the first-gen electric Lightning and its affordable starting price of just under $40,000 before incentives. A fully loaded version is roughly $90,000 and competes with the high-end versions of the forthcoming GMC Hummer EV and the Rivian R1T. All three are expected to arrive before the Tesla Cybertruck, which has been pushed back to sometime next year.

Of course, 120,000 reservations booked so far don’t necessarily translate to 120,000 actual sales as it remains to be seen how many firm orders Ford will receive. That being said, it’s fair to say the electric Lightning has been an instant hit, much like the Bronco rugged SUV and the smaller Maverick truck, which has an available hybrid powertrain. The electric Mustang Mach-E SUV is also quite popular, especially since it’s billed as a global model whereas the others are US-focused products.

Source: Automotive News