Ford will lower manufacturing of its all-electric pickup truck in 2024 in an effort to match client demand.
Ford executives signaled in October throughout its third-quarter earnings name plans to “adjust” manufacturing of its all-electric autos and delay about $12 billion in investments on account of softening demand for higher-priced premium electrical autos.
The automaker didn’t explicitly check with the Lightning throughout the earnings name, as a substitute pointing to different examples such because the discount in Mustang Mach-E manufacturing and the choice to delay a second battery manufacturing unit in Kentucky.
A memo to suppliers, which was considered and reported first by Automotive News, indicated plans starting in January to provide a mean of about 1,600 Lightning vehicles per week at its Rouge Electrical Automobile Middle in Dearborn, Michigan. Ford had deliberate for an annual manufacturing capability of 150,000 Lightnings a 12 months, or about 3,200 per week. Which means its manufacturing goal for 2024 has been halved.
A Ford spokesperson wouldn’t affirm the memo. The spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch that the corporate “will continue to match Lightning production to customer demand.”
The transfer is a reversal from January 2022 when Ford — reveling within the 200,000 reservations it had obtained for the truck — introduced it could nearly double production capacity to 150,000 autos a 12 months by mid-2023 in response to buyer demand. The corporate idled the Rouge Electrical Automobile Middle in Michigan in early 2023 to implement plant upgrades to accommodate that new manufacturing capability.
At the same time as these enhancements had been being made, demand for EVs was softening throughout the business. EV gross sales in america are nonetheless rising and on tempo to surpass 1 million autos for the 12 months — a 50% improve year-over-year. Nonetheless, that development hasn’t matched the bold plans of main automakers, inflicting many to curb investments, delay manufacturing unit enhancements or new buildouts and cut back manufacturing capability.
