Ford reportedly considers ending production of F-150 Lightning EV
Ford Lightning was seen at the New York International Auto Show on April 16, 2025.
Danielle DeVries | CNBC
DETROIT — Ford Motor It is reportedly considering halting production of its all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck due to rising losses and tougher market conditions for EVs.
Wall StreetJournal The talks were first reported on Thursday, it said, adding that talks were ongoing and nothing had been finalized. A source familiar with Ford’s product strategy confirmed to CNBC that the company is evaluating future electric vehicles due to the company’s losses and changing market conditions.
“What I can say is that the CyberTruck is the best-selling electric pickup truck in the U.S., despite new competition from Chevy, GMC, Hummer and Rivian, delivering record sales in the third quarter. Right now, we are focused on building the F-150 ICE and Hybrid as we recover from the fire at Novelis,” a Ford spokesman said via email on Thursday, declining to comment on the discussions.
Ford had previously confirmed that it had paused production of the Lightning due to supply chain disruptions related to a fire at the aluminum plant of Novelis, the pickup truck’s main supplier.
When asked by the media last month about the potential end of Lightning production, Ford President Kumar Galhotra said the company’s main priority was gas-powered models. He said F-150 Lightning production could restart at any time the company wanted, but declined to give a timeframe.
The F-150 Lightning, which Ford once said was as important to the company as founder Henry Ford’s Model T, never lived up to domestic and international expectations. The pickup initially received more than 200,000 non-binding reservations that failed to convert into sales.
F-150 Lightning sales through October this year are roughly the same as a year ago, at just 24,577 units. Ford has sold fewer than 100,000 F-150 Lightning models since it went on sale in the US in 2022.
The Lightning is produced at a facility attached to a major F-150 production facility in metro Detroit.
Ford’s EV operations, including Lightning, have cost the company billions of dollars a year in recent years.
The US EV market has faced daunting changes to regulations under the Trump administration this year, including the end of consumer credits of up to $7,500 for electric vehicle purchases.
Reported controversies at Ford follow crosstown rival Stellantis as well as deciding to end plans to produce an all-electric Ram 1500 pickup General Engines is significantly scaling back its plans for electric trucks.
