Ford Motor said Friday it would scale back production of its F-150 Lightning pickup truck, as demand for electric vehicles softens.
The No. 2 US automaker said it will cut production at its Michigan Rouge Electric Vehicle Center to 1 shift starting April 1. In October, the automaker said it will temporarily cut considered one of three shifts on the Michigan plant that builds the electrical F-150 Lightning pickup truck.
The announcement is the newest sign of slowing demand for EV trucks. General Motors in October postponed the opening of a $4 billion electric truck plant in Michigan for a yr.
Ford told suppliers in December that it planned to provide about 1,600 F-150 Lightning EV trucks per week starting in January, roughly half of the three,200 it previously had planned.
Ford sold 24,165 F-150 Lightning trucks last yr in america, up 55% over 2022, out of about 750,000 total F-150 US sales. Ford shares rose lower than 1% Friday.
The Dearborn automaker said Friday it will add a 3rd crew and create nearly 900 jobs at its Michigan assembly plant to extend production of gas-powered Bronco SUVs and Ranger pickups.
The production cut comes at a time when Detroit automakers are protesting that the Biden Administration goes too far with proposals to make use of emissions rules that may end in 67% of all recent vehicles in 2032 being EVs. On Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency submitted its proposal to finalize vehicle requirements to the White House for review.
The Republican-led House in December voted to bar the EPA from moving forward with the planned vehicle emissions regulations, drawing a veto threat from the White House.
Former President Donald Trump, who’s searching for to return to the White House, has vowed to reverse the Biden administration’s electric vehicle rules, while the White House has touted automakers significant EV and battery production investments together with government funding of recent EV charging.
Ford said Friday the move impacts 1,400 employees on the plant. Roughly 700 will transfer to its Michigan Assembly Plant and others will probably be placed in roles on the Rouge Complex or other facilities in Michigan, or benefit from a special retirement program.
The automaker sees continued growth in global EV sales in 2024, though expects it to be “lower than anticipated.”
Ford said a couple of dozen employees might be impacted at component plants supporting F-150 Lightning production.
Ford lost an estimated $36,000 on each of the 36,000 EVs it delivered to dealers within the third quarter, the corporate said in October, after announcing earlier it will slow the ramp-up of money-losing EVs, shifting investment to Ford’s industrial vehicle unit and citing plans to quadruple sales of gas-electric hybrids over the following five years.
Legacy automobile manufacturers have sharpened their focus towards hybrid models over the past yr as buyers snapped up more of those rather than all-electric models.