Ford’s F-150 Lightning is dropping floor within the US with new electrical pickups just like the Tesla Cybertruck and Chevy Silverado EV now obtainable. Though Ford plans to launch smaller, extra reasonably priced EVs, together with an SUV and pickup, they gained’t arrive for (at the least) one other two years. With new threats, together with a wave of lower-cost EVs and Trump threatening to impose tariffs on imports from Mexico, will Ford’s ageing lineup set it additional behind?
Ford Lightning falls behind in ageing EV lineup
It’s been nearly three years for the reason that first F-150 Lightning fashions rolled out of Ford’s Rouge Electrical Car Heart in Dearborn, Michigan.
Except for the Rivian R1T, the Lightning was among the many first electrical pickups obtainable within the US. Rivian delivered the primary R1T fashions in October 2021. The primary Lightning clients acquired their automobiles in Could 2022.
Regardless of setting a new January EV gross sales report, Ford offered fewer Lightning fashions than final yr. Final month, gross sales slipped 15.5% to simply 1,907, in comparison with 2,258 in January 2024.
The Mustang Mach-E was the first cause behind Ford’s increased EV gross sales final month. Ford offered 3,529 Mach-Es in January, up 172% from the 1,295 offered final yr.
After falling behind GM within the US electrical automobile market final yr, Ford launched important incentives towards the tip of the yr to spice up gross sales. In October, Ford launched its “Energy Promise” program, giving all EV consumers a free Stage 2 dwelling charger value $2,000. It prolonged the promotion final month after gross sales jumped 16% in This fall.
In keeping with Edmunds (by way of Bloomberg), Mach-E fashions sat on the lot for a median of over three months earlier than the inducement, almost 20% longer than the typical EV.
New threats rising
Ford’s ageing Lightning and Mach-E are already falling behind new EV rivals just like the Tesla Cybertruck and Honda Prologue.
In keeping with Cox Automotive’s 2024 EV gross sales report, Tesla offered 38,965 Cybertrucks within the US final yr, beating out the Lightning at 33,510. Even the brand new electrical Chevy Silverado is catching up.
After the lower-priced LT trim started arriving at dealerships in October, GM offered 2,176 Silverado EVs within the last three months of 2024, for a complete of seven,428. Later this yr, Ram will launch its first electrical pickup, the Ram 1500 REV.
Ford is betting on a brand new low-cost EV platform because it appears to maintain tempo with international leaders like Tesla and BYD. The brand new platform, beneath growth by a workforce of former Tesla, Lucid, Rivian, and Apple execs in California, will underpin a collection of smaller, extra reasonably priced EVs.
The primary fashions are anticipated to be a smaller electrical crossover SUV and pickup, beginning at beneath $30,000. Nonetheless, the brand new EVs usually are not anticipated to reach till at the least 2027.
By then, Ford will face stiff competitors with Rivian launching its smaller R2, Volkswagen’s Scout model arriving, and so on.
With Trump threatening a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico, the place the Mustang Mach-E is constructed, Ford may face extra headwinds this yr.
Electrek’s Take
Ford has already pushed again a number of important electrical automobile fashions and different tasks. Final yr, it dropped plans to construct a three-row electrical SUV, which CEO Jim Farley as soon as described as a “private bullet practice.”
The bigger SUV was anticipated to launch this yr, however as a substitute, rivals like Hyundai, Kia, Lucid, and Volvo are taking benefit with new three-row electrical SUVs (IONIQ 9, EV90, Gravity, and EX90) arriving within the US this yr.
After delivering the primary fashions final March, Honda’s Prologue already outsold the Ford Mustang Mach-E final month.
Ford’s Mannequin e electrical automobile unit misplaced round $5 billion final yr and is anticipated to proceed racking up the losses in 2025. Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas forecasts comparable losses at round $4.8 million this yr.
We are going to be taught extra tomorrow when Ford reviews its fourth-quarter earnings. Test again for a breakdown of the report.
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