Ford Motor Company will pause production of its F-150 Lightning electric pickup trucks for six weeks, from November 18 to January 6. The company plans to close its U.S. plants for a holiday week in December.
A Ford spokesperson mentioned that the production adjustments aim to balance sales growth and profitability. In recent months, Ford has reduced its electric vehicle plans, including canceling a three-row electric SUV and delaying the launch of an electric version of its popular F-150.
Despite a 45% increase in U.S. EV sales this year, the F-150 Lightning’s sales, which more than doubled to 7,100 units in the last three months, still make up only 3.6% of total F-Series pickup sales. Ford previously cut F-150 Lightning production to one shift due to lower demand.
CEO Jim Farley has emphasized the need to reduce production costs, a critical factor for the company, which is projected to lose about $5 billion on EVs this year. In its latest financial report, Ford reported a third-quarter net income of $900 million, impacted by a $1 billion charge related to the canceled SUV.
