Ford Motor Halts Production of F-150 Lightning

By David Shepardson

(Reuters) – Ford Motor will halt production of its F-150 Lightning electric vehicle pickup trucks for six weeks from Nov. 18 to Jan. 6, the Dearborn automaker announced on Thursday.

Ford's U.S. plants are scheduled to close for a holiday week in December.

> "We continue to adjust production for an optimal mix of sales growth and profitability," a Ford spokesperson stated.

Ford has been scaling back its EV goals. In August, the company announced it would cancel a planned three-row electric SUV and delay the release of a new electric version of its best-selling F-150 pickup.

Instead, Ford is focusing more on hybrid vehicles, which combine an electric motor with a gasoline engine.

This month, Ford reported that its U.S. EV sales have increased by 45% this year, with sales of the F-150 Lightning more than doubling to 7,100 units in the last three months ending on Sept. 30, although these still account for only 3.6% of total F-Series pickup sales.

In April, Ford reduced production of the F-150 Lightning to one shift after previously announcing a temporary cut of one of three shifts at its Michigan plant in October 2023.

CEO Jim Farley emphasized that reducing production costs is a crucial strategy to address the slowdown in EV sales growth, vital for the company’s future sustainability, especially as it expects to incur $5 billion in losses from EVs this year.

Additionally, Ford reported a third-quarter net income of $900 million, or 22 cents per share, despite facing a $1 billion charge due to the decision to cancel production of the three-row EV SUV in August.