Photo: Ford
Ford’s in some trouble with its plans to beat Tesla to the punch. It looks like dealers are trying to squeeze everything they can out of this red-hot market, while simultaneously sending a message. A base-spec 2022 F-150 Lightning is currently priced at $150,944 – an increase of $105,000 over MSRP that’s been disguised as “market adjustment.”
Even though all-electric trucks are now all the hype in the U.S. and Ford managed to deliver a zero-emission pickup before Tesla, there’s not enough inventory to satisfy everyone. The Michigan-based automaker is struggling to make its customers happy. Furthermore, ordering a new F-150 EV right now is not possible. You’d be forced to wait until next year. The company says this situation is due to “high demand,” but there are multiple factors like not enough raw materials for batteries, inflation, parts sourcing, and supply chain struggles that impact Ford’s strategy in the EV world.
Fred Beans is a Ford dealer that serves the greater Philadelphia area. It currently has on offer an F-150 Lightning Pro for $150,944. The truck is offered in Mechanicsburg, even though it hasn’t yet reached the dealer. Keep in mind that Ford’s F-150 Lightning Pro is the base spec model that doesn’t even come with the lightbar in the front. It also has the smallest battery pack of just 98 kWh of usable capacity. This truck should have a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $39,947. And that’s before you could get the maximum of $7,500 in tax credits!
If you’re looking to have more range, then you’re forced to go a lot over budget and order the F-150 Lightning XLT with the 131-kWh (net capacity) Extended Range Battery that comes in at an MSRP of $72,474. One can only wonder how much a dealer would add as “market adjustment” for this trim.
The same Fred Beans dealership has an eerily similar base-spec F-150 Lightning on sale on its website, but this time in Doylestown. Here there’s no “market adjustment” added, but the MSRP sits at $75,954 – a hike of $36,000 over what Ford’s saying it sells its trucks for.
If price gouging isn’t the case here, then Ford might have some undisclosed problems with its dealers. It’s not the first time this happened. Unexpected markups like the ones mentioned above are nothing new, but it seems like the pricing controversy surrounds all-electric F-150s the most. Just a couple of days ago, another Ford dealer made an “error” when the “market adjustment” was set at $69,554 for a Lightning that couldn’t even be sold to customers since it was a demo unit.
At the end of the day, Ford’s plans to go fully transparent and entirely online with sales is not something dealers like. This is taking almost all the pricing power away from them, and that may be why the American automaker is being put to the test right now. We’ll have to wait and see if Ford manages to overcome this situation.
One thing’s for sure: Ford must figure a way out of this sooner rather than later. Customers won’t hold their patience for much longer. There will be more options soon enough.
Fred Beans is a Ford dealer that serves the greater Philadelphia area. It currently has on offer an F-150 Lightning Pro for $150,944. The truck is offered in Mechanicsburg, even though it hasn’t yet reached the dealer. Keep in mind that Ford’s F-150 Lightning Pro is the base spec model that doesn’t even come with the lightbar in the front. It also has the smallest battery pack of just 98 kWh of usable capacity. This truck should have a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $39,947. And that’s before you could get the maximum of $7,500 in tax credits!
If you’re looking to have more range, then you’re forced to go a lot over budget and order the F-150 Lightning XLT with the 131-kWh (net capacity) Extended Range Battery that comes in at an MSRP of $72,474. One can only wonder how much a dealer would add as “market adjustment” for this trim.
The same Fred Beans dealership has an eerily similar base-spec F-150 Lightning on sale on its website, but this time in Doylestown. Here there’s no “market adjustment” added, but the MSRP sits at $75,954 – a hike of $36,000 over what Ford’s saying it sells its trucks for.
If price gouging isn’t the case here, then Ford might have some undisclosed problems with its dealers. It’s not the first time this happened. Unexpected markups like the ones mentioned above are nothing new, but it seems like the pricing controversy surrounds all-electric F-150s the most. Just a couple of days ago, another Ford dealer made an “error” when the “market adjustment” was set at $69,554 for a Lightning that couldn’t even be sold to customers since it was a demo unit.
At the end of the day, Ford’s plans to go fully transparent and entirely online with sales is not something dealers like. This is taking almost all the pricing power away from them, and that may be why the American automaker is being put to the test right now. We’ll have to wait and see if Ford manages to overcome this situation.
One thing’s for sure: Ford must figure a way out of this sooner rather than later. Customers won’t hold their patience for much longer. There will be more options soon enough.
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