Photo: Ford
As you know, Ford is facing a massive backlog of F-150 Lightning orders. The plan is still to build 150,000 units annually by the end of 2023, so the company has taken one more step to make it a reality.
On Tuesday, Ford announced the addition of a third shift at its Rouge plant in Dearborn, Michigan. Some 250 new employees have joined the workforce in recent weeks.
Since the launch of the F-150 Lightning in May of this year, 13,258 units have been sold in the U.S. plus a tiny fraction of that in Canada. Ford will need to increase deliveries more than tenfold if it hopes to achieve its bold projections a year from now.
As for “Blue Oval City” that Ford is building in Stanton, Tennessee to manufacture EV batteries, the next-generation F-150 Lightning and a second electric pickup, operations are scheduled to begin in 2025 at the earliest.
Photo: Ford
Huge Demand and More Accolades
Clearly, the F-150 Lightning is generating a ton of interest not only among consumers but also businesses, as confirmed yesterday by Ted Cannis, head of the Ford Pro commercial vehicle unit. He also said the EV subsidies available under the new U.S. Inflation Reduction Act are likely to create even more demand for the automaker’s electric trucks and vans (namely the E-Transit).
Earlier this week, we announced that the F-150 Lightning was unanimously voted as the Best New Truck of the Year by our team of experts at The Car Guide, who praised its excellent build quality, generous EV range and outstanding in-car technology.
Our colleague Germain Goyer had the opportunity to conduct a series of towing tests in recent days and his review is coming up real soon. You don’t want to miss this.
Watch: 2021 Ford F-150 Lariat PowerBoost (Hybrid) Review
Keyword: Ford Adds Third Shift to F-150 Lightning Plant