VOW3 Volkswagen AG

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)

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