Ford increases the price of the base F-150 Lightning by $15,000. It now starts at $56,000. It came as a surprise as the vehicle was earlier started at $40,000. The vehicle was to compete with Tesla’s Cybertruck base price, however, that might not be the case now with respect to price.
In August, Ford increased the price of all the models by $6,000 to $8,000. Then again, just a few months ago in October, Ford increased the base price of the F-150 Lightning to $52,000 this time. Now Ford has again decided to raise the base price of the F-150 Lightning. It now starts at $55,974, according to an update on its online configurator.
The base price of the Ford F-150 Lightning has gone up $16,000, or 40%, since the electric pickup truck’s launch. The prices of the other versions of the F-150 Lightning haven’t increased with this update. The cheapest way to get a Lightning with the longer-range extended battery pack is still the XLT, starting at $81,000.
The price increase to the base version comes as the automaker is expected to significantly ramp up production of the electric pickup truck in the new year. Earlier this week, we reported on Ford adding a third shift at its Detroit assembly plant, where the F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck is produced. Through November, Ford has sold 13,258 Lightning pickups year-to-date, which is not as many as we thought in 2022, but the first year of production is always difficult. 2023 should be a much bigger year for the Lightning. Ford has talked about producing 150,000 electric pickup trucks next year.
Boosting production
Before the end of the year, the Lightning EV pickup had over 200,000 reservations or around three years of backlog. Demand continues building for the best-selling electric truck in America as Ford works through its backlog. Through November, Ford has sold 13,258 EV pickups year-to-date.
Ford initially planned to build a second facility near its Rouge facility in Dearborn, Michigan, to produce around 40,000 Lightning EVs annually. However, the overwhelming early demand pushed Ford to expand the factory by about 78,000 sq. ft. instead to streamline production and boost output. The automaker looks to raise output again as competition in the EV market continues growing. Ford said it has added a third shift at its Rouge electric vehicle center, adding roughly 250 employees to increase production of the Lightning pickup. Ford’s facility is now running seven days a week with crews alternating 10-hour shifts. The additional shift comes as Ford strives to reach 150,000 units annual capacity by fall 2023.