Ford Is Cranking Up F-150 Lightning Production, And This Trim Will Benefit Most
To say that the Ford F-150 Lightning has experienced "difficulties" in production and delivery would be an understatement. The electric truck has been perpetually out of stock since Ford first started selling it, and to compensate for battery and production issues, the automaker has had to increase the price multiple times, now sitting at $64,474 for the base XLT model. Still, EV buyers really want the truck.
Today, Ford made an announcement that may help fulfill the wishes of people who have waited a long time to get an F-150 Lightning in their driveway. Via a press release, Dearborn's Big Blue Oval said that its ramping up production of the XLT Lightning, and now you don't even need a reservation to walk into a Ford dealership and order one — cutting down potential wait times drastically.
Reportedly, you can get your truck as early as September if you order today. Currently, the F-150 Lightning is built at the company's Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, and the XLT variant is eligible for the all-important $7,500 federal tax credit as well.
Supercharging EV production
Marin Gjaja, the Chief Customer Officer for Ford Model e (the company's EV division) said "Customer interest for XLT has considerably outstripped supply since the F-150 Lightning launch and we've worked with our suppliers to help address that. We heard loud and clear from our customers that they want their truck deliveries as close as possible to their orders. As we scale production, we are making this possible."
By Ford's math, the production hike will triple annual Lightning production to 150,000 trucks a year.
This year, Ford has doubled (or tripled) down on EV production. It already has plans for a new generation of EVs after the current Mustang Mach-E and Lightning, and it has started work on a new EV-centric production facility in Tennessee. Plus, the company has made deals with EV stalwart Tesla for its newly produced vehicles to possess hardware to take advantage of Tesla's massive Supercharger network.