Ford Pauses F-150 Lightning Reservations Due to Strong Demand

Ford is encountering the best kind of problem an automaker can have, overwhelmingly strong demand. This demand has been so strong in recent months that the Blue Oval had to come out with an announcement stating that they will be pausing reservations for the all-new all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning. Ford’s CEO Jim Farley has stated that interest in the F-150 Lightning and the Mustang Mach-E has become so great that they’ve had to stop taking reservations. This may be in part due to the ongoing chip shortage, but it also might have to do with Ford’s capacities. The automaker has only recently dived into the EV sphere, and though they’ve seen great success and interest, the supplies and resources needed for such a huge shift may not be up to par. Thankfully, Ford has great confidence in its ability to supply Ford fans with the vehicles they want.

Ford to Stop Taking Reservations

Ford has run into the best type of problem. Their demand has exceeded their supply. Interest in the Ford F-150 and Mach-E has been exponential, especially for the F-150 Lightning. This is great for Ford and the EV market in general. It shows that people are becoming more comfortable with EVs, also that they’re not opposed to trying something new. Government tax incentives for purchasing EVs may have also had an impact on the increased interest. Ford is cutting back, however. They recently put out a statement that they will have to postpone reservation orders for the F-150 lightning due to heavy demand. About the issue, Ford CEO Jim Farley said,

“We are completely oversubscribed with our battery electric vehicles, Lightning especially,” Jim Farley said. “We had to stop reservations we got so many,” Farley added. “We stopped at 200,000, and those are orders. Hard orders.”

About their supply issues, Ford CEO Jim Farley said that they will be aiming to push full production capacity to 70,000-80,000 units for the F-150 Lightning. The fully-electric pickup is set to arrive on dealership lots by mid-2022. Despite the ongoing chip shortage, Ford had eased consumer worries about the lack of new inventory by stating that they could continue to pick and choose the vehicles they wanted, despite the shortage. This plan may have seemed a great one at the time, but as the expected delivery date moves closer, Ford will have to make sure that they don’t have upset customers asking where their new F-150 Lightning is at.

The good news is that Ford is aware of its supply issues as well as the concern for increased demand. The Blue Oval has stated that it wants to increase its EV production to 600,000 units by 2023. This would be an impressive feat which is in line with Ford’s goal of becoming the number one automaker in the industry.

Come Test Drive a Brand New Ford with us at Kenny Ross!

Interested in an all-new Ford F-150 Lightning? So are we! Come down to Kenny Ross Ford South where we can help you find the right vehicle for your needs. You can browse our inventory of new vehicles or check out our quality pre-owned inventory. At Kenny Ross, we’re more than happy to help our customers find what they are looking for. We can offer suggestions like auto financing to help make paying for a vehicle easier. 

Looking to finally fix the ride you currently have? You can also schedule an online service appointment and have our expert technicians provide you with everything you need to feel safe and secure on the road. Stop by today and see what we can do for you right now!

Photo Credit: Ford