According to the Wall Street Journal, Ford executives are considering eliminating the F-150 Lightning, the company’s flagship electric pickup truck.
The discussions follow Ford’s decision in late October to halt production of the F-150 Lightning while prioritizing hybrid and gasoline-engine versions of its popular pickup truck. The company has been dealing with production troubles since a fire earlier this year at aluminum supplier Novelis’ plant in Oswego, New York.
Ford launched the F-150 Lightning in 2021 with a promised base price of $40,000. The company began manufacturing and selling trucks in 2022, but the trucks ended up costing much more for most customers.
But since then, Ford has struggled to sell more than a few thousand units per quarter, although it has become one of the best-selling electric trucks in the United States. The electric truck market was in trouble even before Congressional Republicans ended the federal EV tax credit and the Trump administration took a tough stance on emissions regulations to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles.
