According to Automotive News, Ford told its dealers that it will reduce weekly production of its F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck starting next year due to slowing consumer demand.
Ford told its dealers it will produce an average of 1,600 electric trucks per week starting next year at its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, according to a memo seen by the outlet. The company currently produces 3,200 trucks per week at the plant.
Ford spokesperson Emma Bergg declined to comment on the numbers released in the report, saying in an email: “We continue to adjust Lightning production based on customer demand.”
While electric vehicle sales continue to rise, they’re not growing as fast as some automakers expected. As a result, several companies, including Ford, have slowed ambitious construction plans. Ford recently said it would postpone a $12 billion (Note: currently about 86.16 billion RMB) investment plan, which includes suspending the construction of one of its two battery factories in Kentucky and reducing the cost of another one in Michigan. Battery factory production targets.
Ford’s electric vehicle business continues to lose money. Ford has lost $3.1 billion on electric vehicles so far this year and said it will lose a total of $4 billion this year.
But despite this, electric vehicle sales continue to grow. Ford has sold 20,365 F-150 Lightning trucks so far in 2023, up 53% from 13,258 units in 2022. In the third quarter of 2023, electric vehicles accounted for just under 8% of all U.S. vehicle sales, according to Cox Automotive.
Electric vehicle sales have been hampered by high prices and a lack of charging facilities, a problem Ford has tried to address with new initiatives, such as the launch of the F-150 Lightning Flash, an affordable electric truck, and a partnership with Tesla to adopt the The company’s electric vehicle charging plugs.
