Ford is kicking off the new year in a big way with two major announcements. First, the automaker says it plans to nearly double production capacity of the F-150 Lightning. Ford announced Tuesday that it will increase production to 150,000 per year to meet demand. The all-electric pickup is being built at the new Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan.
Secondly, the automaker also announced that this Thursday, the first wave of reservation holders will start converting their reservations to orders. This, as the pickup enters its final pre-production phase and enters real-world durability testing.
“With nearly 200,000 reservations, our teams are working hard and creatively to break production constraints to get more F-150 Lightning trucks into the hands of our customers,” said Kumar Galhotra, president of The Americas & International Markets Group, Ford Motor Company. “The reality is clear: People are ready for an all-electric F-150 and Ford is pulling out all the stops to scale our operations and increase production capacity.”
Ordering Process
Ford is implementing a wave-by-wave reservation process. It's asking reservation holders to be on the lookout for an invitation via email from Ford or to log into their Ford.com account over the next few months. After the first wave of reservation holders place orders, additional reservation holders will be invited in phases to place their orders. Those who don't get an invite to order for the 2022 model year (and some won't since there are nearly 200,000 reservations holders) will have an opportunity to order for future model years in "due course."
Ford says customer deliveries begin this spring.
Increased Production
So how does Ford plan to increase production to help meet demand? Ford says it's formed a small task force of employees from manufacturing, purchasing, strategy, product development and capacity planning. The task force is finding ways to quickly adapt and expand production of the groundbreaking pickup. Ford says it's also working with key suppliers – as well as with its own manufacturing facilities Rawsonville Components Plant and Van Dyke Electric Powertrain Center – to find ways to increase capacity of electric vehicle parts, including battery cells, battery trays and electric drive systems.
Credit: Ford.
“The pride and quality UAW members are putting into building the iconic Ford F-150 Lightning is evident in the high pre-production demand for the new F-150 Lightning truck,” said Chuck Browning, UAW vice president. “UAW members are leading the way in doubling the amount of vehicles Ford is producing for this game-changing model of our legendary union-built vehicle.”
Final Pre-Build Phase
Ford says this week marks the final pre-build phase before mass production begins, both for the F-150 Lightning trucks for retail customers and F-150 Lightning Pro for commercial customers. These production-level trucks will be used for testing in real-world customer conditions, collectively accumulating 1 million miles.
Ford is also sharing some stats. The automaker says the Lightning is drawing interest from customers of competitor brands at a record rate in North America, with more than 75% of reservation holders brand new to the Ford brand.
Availability
Production of the 2022 F-150 Lightning pickup will begin this spring at a starting MSRP of $39,974 before potential federal tax incentives.
To learn more about the all-electric 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning truck, click here.