Prepare to be shocked: Ford says it's planning to "nearly double" production of the F-150 Lightning all-electric pickup in an effort to "meet soaring customer demand" for the vehicle.
Those customers still have to wait a while for the F-150 Lightning to debut. Ford says the upcoming vehicle has moved "to the final phase of pre-production as pickups roll off the line for real-world durability and thousands of miles of testing ahead of customer deliveries this spring."
But that didn't stop the company from deciding to produce some 150,000 vehicles at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, assuming everything goes according to plan. (Which isn't a given when companies have to contend with a pandemic and a chip shortage.)
Ford still won't be able to meet demand for the F-150 Lightning even with this increased production, either, because the company says nearly 200,000 people have reserved a vehicle. This "unprecedented customer interest" has led to a staggered rollout for the all-electric pickup.
"Ford is implementing a wave-by-wave reservation process, with reservation holders being asked to watch for an invitation via email from Ford or to log into their Ford.com account over the next few months," the company says. "Those who don’t receive invitations to convert for the 2022 model year will have an opportunity to order a future model year vehicle in due course."
Ford says that it's also tripling production of the Mustang Mach-E with the goal of making 200,000 vehicles per year by 2023 and that it's planning to release its first all-electric van, the E-Transit, "early this year." The F-150 Lightning is expected to start at $39,974.