Ford Motor Co. has shared an update on its journey to scale production of its super popular, all-electric F-150 Lightning in order to reduce customer wait times. The American automaker has bolstered production of its XLT trim, in particular, and is limiting new reservation wait times down under four months.
Even as a relatively new EV model, Ford’s F-150 Lightning has been an absolute slam dunk for both the automaker and for EV adoption in general. Even before initial deliveries began, the initial production run was sold out – for years. As a result of such exciting demand, Ford immediately bolstered Lightning production as part of a $50 billion global investment.
In early March, Ford announced it would triple F-150 Lightning production in 2023 at its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center (REVC) in Dearborn, Michigan, alongside its all-electric sibling, the Mustang Mach-E. High demand and supply chain issues led Ford to temporarily suspend new reservations, but those were reopened last month.
The XLT trim has emerged as the crowd favorite for the F-150 Lightning, and Ford has adapted its production priorities to meet that specific demand first. The automaker shared an encouraging progress update today that should get new XLT orders into the driveways of customers as soon as early fall.
F-150 Lightning production ramps up, deliveries coming
According to recent news from Ford, it remains on track to scale up production of the F-150 Lightning at REVC this fall and will prioritize the XLT trims first.
The automaker states that new orders for the XLT trim made today should be delivered by early September. Ford model e’s chief customer officer, Marin Gjaja, elaborated:
Customer interest for XLT has considerably outstripped supply since the F-150 Lightning launch and we’ve worked with our suppliers to help address that. We heard loud and clear from our customers that they want their truck deliveries as close as possible to their orders. As we scale production, we are making this possible.
At a starting MSRP of $64,474, the XLT currently qualifies for federal tax credits up to $7,500 – another huge reason for its popularity amongst prospective Lightning customers. In addition to the XLT, Ford says it is still accepting customer orders for the Lariat and Platinum trims of the F-150 Lightning, but production will focus more on the latter model.
Ford shared that when it successfully triples Lightning production by the end of the year, its annual output rate will reach approximately 150,000 units. You can order a Lightning of your own from your local Ford dealer online at ford.com.
Check out the F-150 Lightning on the assembly lines of REVC in Ford’s video below.