Ford F-150 Lightning: 160,000 Reservations Spark Success For New EV Pickup
The Ford F-150 Lightning, one of the most popular and successful trucks in history, was updated with an all-electric version in May.
Ford Motor Company has continued to receive a steady stream of $100 reservation holders for its forthcoming electric F-150 Lightning truck, and that number now stands at 160,000. As the F-150 Lightning goes on sale next spring, these reservation figures are expected to rise.
An electric version of the F-Series, a household name in the United States, has the potential to truly speed up the public’s transition to electric cars.
Since its debut, the F-150 Lightning has been available for reservation with a $100 refundable deposit. Immediately, demand from customers was sparked.
The Lightning surpassed 44,000 reservations for the F-150 Lightning in less than two days, according to CEO Jim Farley.
The F-150 Lightning took a step forward in terms of demand, with reservations for the vehicle steadily increasing throughout the summer. After that, demand appeared to have slowed down significantly, only adding around 10,000 additional pre-orders each month in August and September.
According to a recent tweet from @NatBullard at BloombergNEF, Ford has now surpassed the 160,000 mark for Lightning reservations. The demand is unquestionable. But, in comparison to other competitors, how does this enthusiasm stack up? Rivian’s R1T pickup has already started shipping with a Launch Edition offering, so they’ve won the race to market.
The Cybertruck, which was initially expected to go on sale some time in 2020, has suffered numerous delays and appears to have taken a step back by removing its details and pricing. Prototypes have been sighted and the firm is still taking $100 reservations, just like Ford.
When the F-150 Lightning was initially presented, Cybertruck had already generated over 1 million reservations. That being said, these are two distinct brands with distinct variants of an electric truck.
Despite Tesla’s brand success, Ford should be ecstatic by its figures, especially since they pertain to the electric Lightning maker’s production timetable. In 2022, Ford planned to build 15,000 Lightning automobiles, 55,000 in 2023, and 80,000 in 2024.
Ford has planned to double its Lightning production based on these strong reservations, with an objective of producing 160,000 vehicles in 2025.
It’s clear that not every current $100 reservation holder will buy a Lightning. However, even if half of these individuals complete the purchase, the trucks will be completely booked through 2023.
The Lightning truck is now in pre-production at Ford. When sales begin in 2022, it will be fascinating to see where reservations fall.