Ford Motor leaders are reported to be "in active discussions" over the fate of the all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup, and if they do decide to end it, that would make the Lightning the first of the electric trucks to go. It would also be a move industry observers say has been long expected as sales of the vehicle have fallen short of expectations. "We don't have anything definitive (on it being canceled)," said Sam Fiorani, vice president of Global Vehicle Forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions. "But the numbers play out that we don't expect them to bring it (in production) back anytime soon." Ford halted production of the Lightning, assembled at Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, on Oct. 23 due to an aluminum shortage after a fire destroyed part of Novelis aluminum factory in New York. Novelis is the main supplier of aluminum to Ford for use in its pickups and SUVs. On Oct. 23, Ford COO Kumar Galhotra told the news media that the automaker expects to also pause production of its highly profitable gasoline-powered F-150 pickup made at Dearborn Truck Plant at some point this month due to the aluminum shortage. When asked whether the pause in Lightning production would be permanent, Galhotra's answer was vague. "We're 100% focused on the F-150 and covering as much as possible. The plant is right there next to DTP and so whenever we're ready, we'll get the Lightning back up," Galhotra said on Oct. 23. A report in the Wall Street Journal on Nov. 6 cited unnamed sources as saying the fate of the Lightning is being debated inside Ford, but no final decision has yet been made. The report also said that General Motors executives have discussed discontinuing some electric trucks, too, citing people familiar with the matter. GM spokesman Kevin Kelly told the Free Press on Nov. 6 that there have been no discussions about changing the automaker's portfolio. In a government filing last month, GM said, "Our strategic realignment of EV capacity does not impact today's retail portfolio of Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac EVs currently in production, and we expect these models to remain available to consumers." Stellantis, which makes Ram trucks, canceled plans earlier this year to make an electric version of its full-size pickup. Ford's take on the Lightning When asked about the fate of the Lightning and whether Ford is considering killing it, Ford spokesman Dave Tovar told the Detroit Free Press on Nov. 6, "We don’t comment on speculation about future product plans." He added, that the F-150 Lightning is the nation's bestselling electric pickup truck. "Right now, we’re focused on producing F-150 ICE and Hybrid as we recover from the fire at Novelis," Tovar said. "We have good inventories of the F-150 Lightning and will bring Rouge Electric Vehicle Center (REVC) back up at the right time, but don’t have an exact date at this time." Suzie Roskandich-McDermott looks over a Ford F-150 Lightning pickup truck while working on the customer acceptance line at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn on Monday, May 15, 2023. Roskandich-McDermott and her daughter Amanda McDermott are the only mother/daughter team on the assembly line in a plant that's preparing to double its run rate to 150,000 vehicles annually. In the third quarter, Ford reported it sold 10,005 Lightnings, a 39.7% gain from the year-ago period and a record for the company. The sales were largely aided by the fact that a $7,500 federal tax credit was due to expire at the end of September, so buyers rushed to take advantage of it while they could. Ford reported Lightning sales from January through the end of the quarter are 23,034 sold, a 1% year-over-year gain. By comparison, General Motors sold 3,940 Silverado EVs in the third quarter. Tesla sold about 5,385 Cybertrucks in the quarter, according to estimates from Cox Automotive. Making the case to cut EVs Fiorani said most experts have been waiting for automakers to start scrapping EVs in their lineup now that the federal tax incentive is gone. EV sales in October fell off a cliff across the industry with no big discount to entice buyers. For the entire industry, sales of EVs in the United States dropped to 74,897 units in October compared with 98,289 units sold in September, according to Reuters. "We expected all the manufacturers to reevaluate all of their EVs after the incentive went away because they have to adjust the prices by $7,500 now," Fiorani said. "We've been calling this all along that there'd be EVs falling out of the marketplace." Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, raises questions about the future of the Ford Edge built at the Oakville Assembly Plant in Ontario, Canada. This photo was taken in March 2019. The Ford Lightning, especially, fits the bill to be killed because it does not share any components with other Ford vehicles to justify its cost to build it or get economies of scale, Fiorani said. "Whereas at GM, their EVs share components with other vehicles, which can lower the cost per vehicle. Manufacturers have to decide whether it's worth their time and money to keep it in the marketplace," Fiorani said "The Silverado EV is also not selling well, but it shares components across five different nameplates." Free Press staff writer Jackie Charniga contributed to this article. Jamie L. LaReau is the senior autos writer for USA Today Co. who covers Ford Motor Co. for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Jamie at jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. To sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.