Ford adds work crew at Michigan plant as it boosts output of EV pickup
The Ford logo is pictured at the Ford Motor Co plant in Genk
Tue, December 13, 2022
DEARBORN, Mich. (Reuters) -Ford Motor Co on Tuesday said it added a third work crew at an assembly plant near Detroit as it boosts production of its F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck.
The U.S. automaker said it added 250 jobs in November at its Rouge plant in Dearborn, Michigan, as a result of the additional crew.
Ford previously said it was targeting annual production of 150,000 Lightning electric pickups by the fall of 2023.
Later on Tuesday, Ted Cannis, head of Ford's commercial vehicle business, told reporters that the unit was seeing "huge demand."
Ford expects electric vehicle subsidies available under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act could propel even more demand for the company's electric trucks and vans, Cannis said. But many businesses and fleet management companies are still unsure if they qualify for those subsidies, he said.
Ford is the U.S. market share leader for commercial vehicles, which includes the Lightning and an electric version of its Transit van. The company has set a goal to increase Ford Pro's annual revenue to $45 billion by 2025, up 67% from 2019.
(Reporting by Joseph White in Dearborn, Michigan; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Bill Berkrot)
Ford F-150 Lightning EV wins
Motor Trend Truck of the Year
It’s another big step in the mainstreaming of EVs in America.
Motor Trend magazine named the Ford F-150 Lightning EV its 2023 Truck of the Year. It’s the first time an EV has been the unanimous choice for the Truck of the Year award among Motor Trend judges.
It’s not the first time Motor Trend has named an EV an overall winner, last year it awarded the Lucid Air EV as its 2022 Car of the year, and Rivian R1T pickup its truck of the year.
Ford says F-150 Lightning is America’s best-selling electric truck in November, with sales totaling 2,062. Since Ford started delivering the Lightning in May, sales have totaled 13,258. Ford is now the No. 2 EV brand by sales in the U.S. year to date, behind Tesla.
Before tax incentives, the Ford F-150 Lightning starts at $51,974 in base Pro model trim, which features dual motors, 240 miles of range, and 452hp. Going up a trim level to XLT and adding an extended battery (bumping up range to 320 miles and hp to 580) will set buyers back nearly $81,000 before any tax incentives.
Though the Lightning isn’t cheap, Ford’s better-equipped ICE-powered F-150’s aren’t either. The combination of the Lightning’s features, capability, and performance made the choice easy for Motor Trend judges.
“[The F-150 Lightning] offers a host of features no gas- or diesel-powered truck can match. Be it for the campsite, the job site, or the homestead, the Lightning offers up a world of new possibilities for truck owners all while saving them money at the pump and likely at the repair shop, too. It's a bargain many are going to find exceedingly easy to live with,” Motor Trend’s Scott Evans writes.
Ford says it is ramping up production and deliveries of the F-150 Lightning at its Rouge complex in Dearborn, Michigan, with the target being 150,000 Lightning EVs delivered by the end of next year.
Nora Naughton
Tue, December 13, 2022
F-150 Lightning at Ford's Dearborn assembly factory.Nora Naughton
Ford added a third shift at the F-150 Lightning factory last month.
It now plans to build 150,000 Lightnings annually at the EV factory.
Startup production goals lag far behind legacy competitors like Ford.
Ford's F-150 Lightning factory in suburban Detroit is now operating on three shifts, ramping up to full capacity as the carmaker rushes to meet demand for the all-electric pickup just named Motor Trend's Truck of the Year.
Ford is adding this new production shift at the same time it completes two large additions to the factory to increase square-footage by some 300,000 square feet, plant manager Corey Williams told reporters at the factory Tuesday morning. The third shift started work late last month, he said.
The ultimate goal is for Ford to build 150,000 F-150 Lightnings a year at the Dearborn, Michigan factory, double the company's initial production target. Ford set into motion plans to increase its Lightning build capacity after it had to cap reservations at 200,000 late last year. Through November, Ford had sold 13,258 F-150 Lightning trucks.
More than a sign of the truck's popularity, this lofty production goal highlights legacy automakers' advantage over newcomers like Rivian and Lucid when it comes to scaling up. While companies like Ford and GM leverage existing manufacturing footprints and a century's worth of experience building vehicles, startups are struggling with the tricky task of mass-producing vehicles for the first time.
Rivian had built 14,317 of its electric pickup trucks, SUVs, and delivery vans through the end of the third quarter, and is targeting annual production around 25,000 vehicles. Lucid reported it had built 3,687 vehicles in the first nine months of 2022, and is aiming for between 6,000 and 7,000 vehicles for the year.
Ford's global EV sales target for 2023 is 600,000 vehicles, and CEO Jim Farley has said he wants his company to overtake Tesla as the number one seller of electrics in the US. The expansions at Ford's Rouge Electric Vehicle Center are just part of a $30 billion shift toward electric vehicles. Earlier this year, Ford restructured its business to place more focus on its electric division, now called Ford Model e.
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