Ford Motor Company will significantly reduce its planned production of the all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup by about 50% next year, a major shift following a substantial increase in plant capacity for the vehicle in 2023.
Under the revised plans, Ford will produce an average of approximately 1,600 F-150 Lightnings per week at its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, beginning in January.
This is a decrease from the previous plan to produce around 3,200 vehicles weekly. “We’ll continue to align production with customer demand,” a Ford spokeswoman said on Monday.
Ford executives have recently indicated that the company will adjust production based on demand, as it also cancels or delays $12 billion in future EV investments.
The reduction in F-150 Lightning production was initially revealed in a memo that attributed the production cuts to “changing market demand,” according to the publication.
Demand for electric vehicles has not met many expectations, with high prices and interest rates contributing to slower adoption.
Automakers are focused on reducing the costs of producing all-electric vehicles and are reassessing their production and product strategies for the future.
Earlier this year, Ford spent six weeks increasing the capacity of the F-150 Lightning production line at the Michigan plant, which was set to produce 150,000 of the electric trucks—three times the initial output goal.
Sales of the F-150 Lightning have been rising throughout 2023, with a monthly record of approximately 4,400 units sold in November.
Through November, the company has sold 20,365 of the trucks this year, marking a 54% increase from the previous year.
