The F-150 Lightning may be America's favorite pickup truck, but alas, the Ford Motor Company hasn't delivered a single unit since February 9. As per a fresh report, Ford's quality boffins identified an issue that – sadly – hasn't been made public.
Speaking to Automotive News, the second largest automaker in the United States made it clear that shipments will ramp up in the coming weeks after potentially affected vehicles clear the quality checks. The stop-ship order doesn't affect 2024 models in dealer inventory or on their way there.
After selling 24,165 units in 2023 as opposed to 15,617 in the previous year, the F-150 Lightning could finish 2024 on a low note. Back in January, the Ford Motor Company announced that it would reduce production due to worsening demand in the US market for the zero-emission pickup truck.
The Rouge plant where Dearborn's favorite son assembles the F-150 Lightning will switch to a single shift on April 1. Back in October 2023, the Dearborn-based automaker temporarily cut one of three shifts at the Rouge electric vehicle plant. Approximately two months later, Ford Motor Company dialed black the planned output for the F-150 Lightning by half, citing worsening demand.
These developments could be interpreted as good news by Rivian and Tesla. However, changing market demand for electric trucks may result in poor sales for both companies. During its 2023 earnings call, Rivian set a 57,000-vehicle production target for 2024. Come 2025, Tesla intends to increase Cybertruck production capacity to 250,000 units.
Photo: Ford
Tesla's rather ambitious estimate is entirely doable, but remember that production capacity is a very different matter from demand. Even the Ford Motor Company is capable of upping the F-150 Lightning's capacity to 250,000 trucks per annum, but due to the lack of customers, those pickups would sit on dealer lots. Even if dealers are willing to drop a few grand off the MSRP, the F-150 Lightning is a tough sell at $49,995 for the Pro.
Gifted with a 98-kWh battery pack that enables a driving range of 240 miles (386 kilometers; as per EPA testing), the work-oriented Pro is joined by the XLT, Flash, Lariat, and well-equipped Platinum. The XLT can be had with either the standard battery or a larger one, boasting 131 kilowatt hours and up to 320 miles (515 kilometers) of range.
The overly expensive F-150 Lightning Platinum is rated at 300 miles (483 kilometers) despite featuring the larger pack. In addition to the dual-motor setup, the other main difference over the internal combustion F-150 is the Lightning's independent suspension out back.
Speaking of the combustion-engined sibling, Automotive News is aware of many 2024 models that are currently piled up in storage lots due to quality-related concerns. Considering that the 2024 model is a mid-cycle refresh that introduced new stuff to the F-150, this isn't exactly surprising. The first units of the 2024 Ford F-150 were shipped to dealers in the US earlier this week.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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