Ford Motor executives are actively discussing the possible curtailment of production of the electric version of the F-150 pickup truck, sources told The Wall Street Journal. This could be the first serious failure of an electric vehicle among mass models in the U.S., the publication notes.
F-150 Lightning, previously presented by the company as a "modern Model T", has not lived up to expectations: American buyers, traditionally loyal to pickup trucks, have not shown interest in its electric version, and since 2023 Ford's losses from the EV division exceeded $13 billion, writes WSJ. Ford already halted production of the Lightning last month due to an aluminum shortage. Now the company is considering leaving the plant idle and reallocating resources to smaller and more affordable electric vehicles. An official statement says production will resume "at an appropriate time."
Ford's U.S. electric vehicle sales fell 24% year-over-year in October after the elimination of tax incentives for electric vehicle purchases, the WSJ reports. Ford dealers sold 66,000 gasoline-powered F-Series for the month, up slightly from a year ago, and only 1,500 copies of the Lightning, the lowest of any of the company's models.
What this means for the market
While a final decision to shut down electric pickup truck production has yet to be made, Ford's possible abandonment of the F-150 Lightning could be the beginning of the end for the large electric pickup segment, the WSJ notes. Another automaker, Stellantis, earlier this year dropped plans to launch an electric version of the full-size Ram. Tesla Cybertruck has also shown a sharp drop in sales for 2025, and Rivian is making cuts to preserve liquidity.
Reduction or refusal to produce these models will be painful for both automakers and their suppliers, the publication notes. Some plants have already been shut down, thousands of workers have been sent on forced vacations, WSJ writes. GM set aside $1.6 billion in the third quarter to cover losses from its electric car division and warned that additional write-offs were possible in the future, Reuters wrote in mid-October.
This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor
