Ford to Unveil Electric F-150 Lightning Pickup Truck -- Update
May 19 2021 - 3:55PM
Dow Jones News
By Dave Sebastian
Ford Motor Co. is expected to unveil an all-electric version of
its bestselling F-150 pickup truck on Wednesday night, the latest
in the push to electrify the auto industry's global lineups.
The auto maker said it would reveal the F-150 Lightning at its
headquarters in Dearborn, Mich., at 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The
vehicle's production is expected to start next spring at the
company's River Rouge assembly plant near Detroit, Ford said.
"F-150 Lightning can power your home during an outage," Ford
Chief Executive Jim Farley said. He added that the vehicle would be
enhanced "through over-the-air updates."
Even as Ford gets set to unveil the new truck, it is still
confronting a chip shortage that had led to reduce shifts and
temporary shutdowns at many of its U.S. factories this spring.
On Wednesday, Ford said it would idle plants in Michigan and
Missouri that make gasoline-versions of the F-150 pickup truck for
two weeks starting May 31. It also said it is planning more
downtime at several other assembly plants, including its SUV
factory in Chicago.
As for electric vehicles, Silicon Valley-inspired startups and
Ford's established peers, such as General Motors Co. and Volkswagen
AG, have spent billions on developing the new models. Ford said
last year that it was expanding its largest and oldest factory to
make the electric pickup trucks.
The pickup-truck category is likely to be an important
battleground as auto makers race to develop electric vehicles,
prodded by tightening environmental regulations and Tesla Inc.'s
rapid rise.
While there are no electric pickups from major auto makers on
the market today, some are expected to go on sale in the next 18
months, including the F-150 Lightning, and entries from Tesla, GM
and startup Rivian Automotive.
Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk has said the first of Tesla's
electric pickup trucks could make it into customer hands before
year-end.
The Ford vehicle's introduction is scheduled to be broadcast
live on various platforms, including on the auto maker's Facebook
and YouTube channels.
In his visit to Ford's Rouge Electric Vehicle Center on Tuesday,
President Biden proclaimed himself a "car guy" and used the
facility to pitch his $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan, which
includes funding for electric vehicles. Mr. Biden test-drove a
vehicle the White House said was the F-150 Lightning.
Write to Dave Sebastian at dave.sebastian@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 19, 2021 15:40 ET (19:40 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2021 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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