Electric Truck Ford F-150 Lightning Threatened With Dead Injection

Ford F-150 Lightning. (Photo: Ford Motor Company)

JAKARTA The largest automotive manufacturer in the United States Ford is reportedly considering stopping its flagship electric truck production, the F-150 Lightning. This was taken by Ford after market demand continued to weaken and the cost pressure grew in the electric vehicle segment.

The move reflects a change in Ford's current strategy of prioritizing gasoline-engined and hybrid trucks that are considered more profitable. Several internal company executives reportedly considered that the demand for the F-150 Lightning was not in line with early expectations at its launch.

Ford first introduced the F-150 Lightning in 2022 with great hopes of becoming a pioneer in the electrification transformation of the truck segment. However, the journey of this model is not as smooth as imagined.

Production at theturbation Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, has been delayed without clarity on when it will resume. The company also highlighted that the gasoline and hybrid-engined variants provide better profit margins, in addition to being more efficient in terms of raw materials, especially the use of less aluminum.

On the other hand, the challenges of the electric vehicle industry in general helped suppress Ford's position, ranging from high battery costs to stagnant demand in the United States market. Even so, Ford has not completely abandoned its electrification strategy, as reported by Carscoops, Friday, November 7.

The company is preparing a new generation of medium-sized electric trucks at a more affordable price, which is around US$30,000 or equivalent to Rp. 468 million. The model is planned to launch in 2027 and is claimed to bring better efficiency than the F-150 Lightning.