Ford introduced yesterday the non permanent cancellation of a shift at its Rouge Electrical Car Middle in Dearborn, Michigan, citing provide chain constraints amongst different points. The shift that’s being reduce will likely be rotated, the model added.
The reduce will have an effect on Ford F-150 Lightning manufacturing, and influence about 700 jobs, Reuters reported. The Detroit carmaker stated the reduce was unrelated to the continuing United Auto Staff (UAW) strike.
The model reported that it was “working by means of processing and delivering automobiles held for high quality checks after restarting manufacturing in August.”
Ford offered a file variety of EVs in Q3 2023, however F-150 Lightning gross sales have been disappointing. It suffered from a 46 p.c gross sales decline year-over-year within the third quarter, with the model promoting only a shade over 3,500 items between July and September 2023.
“F-150 Lightning is predicted to provide gross sales will increase in This autumn, as capability actions on the Rouge Electrical Car Middle are realized,” Ford stated within the gross sales report. By reducing a complete shift, it’s unclear how the model would maximize manufacturing.
InsideEVs has reached out to Ford for a remark.
“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to determine that our gross sales for the Lightning have tanked,” a UAW memo obtained by The Wall Road Journal stated. The memo reasoned that Ford was contemplating canceling a shift to construct extra gas-powered vans as a substitute.
That’s fairly shameful as a result of the F-150 Lightning had over 200,000 reservations in Might 2023. Our editors rated it extremely, and it additionally gained the 2022 InsideEVs Star Awards.
![2024 Ford F-150 Lightning Flash](https://cdn.motor1.com/images/static/16x9-tr.png)
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“The Lightning gained as a result of it has the potential to each change the best way work is completed whereas additionally changing a wholly new demographic to the EV trigger,” a former editor wrote. “There’s a Lightning for everybody from common contractors to city cowboys,” he added.
That stated, the demand-supply ratio for the electrical truck has been a puzzle. Ford has reported six-figure reservation numbers, however lots of these orders haven’t gone by means of. A gross sales supervisor at a Kansas Ford dealership instructed The Verge in June 2023 that 40 of the 135 orders he acquired had been canceled as a result of the truck was simply too costly.
Though the model has been attempting to draw prospects again. Ford just lately introduced the largest reductions thus far on choose variants of the F-150 Lightning. By combining the federal tax credit score and Ford’s reductions, prospects can save as much as $15,000 on the EV.