Production of the Ford F-150 Lightning will reportedly be paused for six weeks, representing the latest bump in the road for the once highly anticipated electric pickup.
As reported by Reuters, the F-150 Lightning’s production line will be offline from November 18, 2024 to January 6, 2025, a six-week period that includes one holiday week in December when it was originally planned to be paused.
A Ford spokesperson told the publication, “we continue to adjust production for an optimal mix of sales growth and profitability”.
100s of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now.
While sales of the F-150 Lightning doubled between July and September compared to the same three months last year, the 7100 examples sold in the US represented less than four per cent of all F-Series deliveries in that time.
The production pause is the latest problem for the F-150 Lightning, which upon its release in 2022 was expected to provide a significant boom in electric vehicle (EV) adoption, offering battery power in North America’s most popular new vehicle.
After launching it as the second electric pickup in the US – shortly after the Rivian R1T – Ford soon increased its production plans for the F-150 Lightning, following high demand after first deliveries in 2022.
However, buyers soon started to turn away from the pickup, resulting in multiple subsequent production plan cuts to ensure oversupply was reduced.
In January, it was announced there will be just one shift a day working at the Ford F-150 Lightning’s production facility, down from the peak of three shifts when demand was at its highest.
Deliveries were paused in February due to an unspecified quality issue, which was followed in April by cutting production down to one shift from three.
Ford’s production pause also comes shortly after it announced that it would delay the launch of the F-150 Lightning’s successor to the second half of 2027, well behind its planned 2025 debut.
In August, Ford said this would better allow it to capitalise on lower-cost battery technology “and take advantage of other cost breakthroughs while the market continues to develop”.
It also axed plans to develop a three-row electric SUV, instead focusing on introducing more hybrid drivetrains in the segment.
Hybrids have become an increasing focus for Ford in the US, where the most recent update for the petrol-powered F-150 saw the brand offer its 3.5-litre V6 engine with the option of hybrid assistance for no extra cost.
MORE: Everything Ford F-150
MORE: Ford’s electric pickup hits yet another stumbling block
MORE: Ford cuts more F-150 Lightning production amid declining demand
