Ford Reduces F-150 Lightning Production to Match Customer Demand

[chrislightningnc]

It will take a lot of time for the public narrative to change. Right now roadtrips are really unrealistic to a lot of people. It's a learning curve. Can they be done with a little planning and patience, sure, but, most people just want to get in and go.

Sponsored

 

[Tony Burgh]

i don’t see it that way, there’s really not much margin in the Pro trim, so they don’t want to make or sell them. The “lose money on every deal, but make it up on volume“ business model isn’t the most sustainable…

It’s called seeding the market. By wasting opportunity, they’re ceding the markets. They should have learned that a b-school.

 

[Zprime29]

I'm taking a bunch of car enthusiasts from Tucson to Scottsdale for Barrett Jackson on Monday. It's 121 miles one way, and about 1500ft elevation change coming back. It'll cut it real close to make it without charging, especially as rain is predicted. So I plan on stopping for a quick 10min top up. Even with giving them a heads up, they still seem on board with carpooling in the lightning so it'll be interesting to see what they think of a charging stop.

Most I think are interested, but cannot afford the high premium. A PRO would be attainable for them, but it lacks the amenities they have in their ICE counterparts. It's a hard sell either way.

 

[swajames]

It’s called seeding the market. By wasting opportunity, they’re ceding the markets. They should have learned that a b-school.

There probably aren't too many business schools that teach the importance of ramping up on loss-making product at the expense of more profitable product. Sometimes things are as they seem. If Ford could make any money on the Pro trim they would build more of them rather than cut a shift.

 

[Tony Burgh]

There probably aren't too many business schools that teach the importance of ramping up on loss-making product at the expense of more profitable product. Sometimes things are as they seem. If Ford could make any money on the Pro trim they would build more of them rather than cut a shift.

Too bad Amazon didn’t absorb years of losses. They could have ruled the commercial world. Only this quarter’s P&L matters.

 

[invertedspear]

I'm taking a bunch of car enthusiasts from Tucson to Scottsdale for Barrett Jackson on Monday. It's 121 miles one way, and about 1500ft elevation change coming back. It'll cut it real close to make it without charging, especially as rain is predicted. So I plan on stopping for a quick 10min top up. Even with giving them a heads up, they still seem on board with carpooling in the lightning so it'll be interesting to see what they think of a charging stop.

Most I think are interested, but cannot afford the high premium. A PRO would be attainable for them, but it lacks the amenities they have in their ICE counterparts. It's a hard sell either way.

Kind of off topic, but I've always had a good experience at the Mills Mall EA charger. Kind of wish there was more than just Joe's Crab Shack right there. A little convenience store would be nice.

 

[Zprime29]

Kind of off topic, but I've always had a good experience at the Mills Mall EA charger. Kind of wish there was more than just Joe's Crab Shack right there. A little convenience store would be nice.

Good to know, that's the one I was planning to use.
EDIT: I originally wanted to check out the Magic Dock in Glendale, but was convince by my brother that it would eat up too much time to go that far out of the way.

 

[intensifi]

@Ford Motor Company

If Ford can do a few simple things, Lightning demand will return.

1) Bigger battery (need more range)
2) 800 V architecture. (Faster charging on the road)
3) Act as a battery for Enphase, Solar Edge, etc. systems (the proprietary system Ford has with Siemens/Sunrun is a bad joke)
4) Act as a generator for homes that already support generator input. This means creating an option for disconnecting bonded Neutral when acting as a generator at home. The Lightning already supports a HOME for charging window purposes, this could also be used to disconnect bonded neutral.
5) Software updates on demand when connected to WiFi.
6) Precondition now button on the app, FOB and UI.
7) STOP TALKING ABOUT HOW GREAT THE T3 IS GOING TO BE UNTIL IT IS ORDERABLE. THIS BEHAVIOR SERIOUSLY IMPACTS CURRENT DEMAND. HAVE ONE OF YOUR EXECS THAT WENT TO BUSINESS SCHOOL BRIEF FARLEY AND THE MARKETING DEPARTMENT ON THE “OSBORNE EFFECT”.

In light of the CyberTruck being such a disappointment, Ford can sell a lot of Lightnings if they fix these items.

 

[Texas Dan]

The Lightning is a niche truck that meets certain use cases but not the bulk. True that it probably meets more people's real need but that is a hill not for today. Honestly I'd like to see a slow of EVs on the road and see how the Tesla charging really impacts us first. It's an old an tired post but long distance traveling in certain areas just suck and we need EV fast charging stations at at least half the stops gas stations have right now before this charging away from home becomes a deal killer.

Over half of ALL the Ford trucks listed on AutoTrader are 4WD Crew Cab F150s just like the Lightning. The Lightning is NOT a niche truck. The primary problems with Lightning sales are related to price, marketing and perception.

 

[swajames]

Too bad Amazon didn’t absorb years of losses. They could have ruled the commercial world. Only this quarter’s P&L matters.

Yes, they're a major force in the automotive business, aren't they.

regardless, it's not quite the "gotcha" you probably thought it was. No one else is building Pro equivalents either, because there's no money in that trim level. Tesla quietly dropped the 40K cybertruck, GM aren't building any base EV trucks, and ford arent either. They’re not missing anything. They are consciously choosing to build different product.

 

[JRT]

Over half of ALL the Ford trucks listed on AutoTrader are 4WD Crew Cab F150s just like the Lightning. The Lightning is NOT a niche truck. The primary problems with Lightning sales are related to price, marketing and perception.

That is the most popular configuration for sure, but most buyers are not jumping into an EV truck for many reasons like you say which makes it very niche to me.

 

[rg7]

They need to market the Lightning as a family wagon. I don't think there's another EV on the market with the kind of space in the backseat the Lightning has.

Here's your commercial: Two car seats and a dog in the back. The family is taking a roadtrip and stop to charge at a vista peak somewhere. The frunk is popped open filled with luggage, the cooler lid is taken off to reveal a boxes of chicken nuggets and mozzarella sticks on ice. The tailgate powers down, various outdoor gear is secured in the bed. An air fryer is plugged into the on board outlets. Lunch is made. The armrest folds out into a table, a tablecloth is placed on top with a plate of hot snacks. The moon roof opens up as the kids run around outside and the parents crack open a seltzer water.

 

[TomB985]

I just read through the Automotive News article on this. The write it up as a staffing change to line up with production cuts announced last month. If this is accurate, this isn’t an additional cut.

The move corresponds to a downshift in Lightning production that Automotive News reported last month. Ford told suppliers that it would slash planned output of the F-150 Lightning by half this year because of "changing market demand," moving from a weekly average rate of 3,200 pickups to 1,600.

SOURCE ARTICLE.

 

[Texas Dan]

That is the most popular configuration for sure, but most buyers are not jumping into an EV truck for many reasons like you say which makes it very niche to me.

The Raptor serves a niche market, high performance off-roader and the numbers show that. There are well over twice as many Lightnings listed on AutoTrader than Raptors. With five different trim levels the Lightning can attract a far greater buyer base than the Raptor.

There are constraints to Lightning sales right now but the sales numbers are still growing exponentially. The potential Lightning market is huge. Give Lightning sales a couple of years to work the kinks out and then see if you can still say the Lightning is a niche truck.

 

[davehu]

Key is

I just read through the Automotive News article on this. The write it up as a staffing change to line up with production cuts announced last month. If this is accurate, this isn’t an additional cut.

Key is cutting PLANNED production. I believe current 2024 Lightning sales are still expected to double from 2023.

Sponsored