Ford Electrical F-150 Gross sales Drop 46% as Deliveries Delayed

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Ford Motor Co. reported gross sales of its F-150 Lightning plug-in pickup fell 46% within the third quarter because the automaker expanded its manufacturing facility and delayed supply of vehicles for “high quality checks.”

The Lightning, Ford’s signature electrical automobile, misplaced floor within the quarter as its manufacturing facility in Dearborn, Mich., was shut for six weeks whereas it was expanded to supply 150,000 vehicles a yr. Because the manufacturing facility got here again up in early August, Ford mentioned it has been holding automobiles for unspecified high quality causes.

“We’re conducting further high quality checks on the Rouge Electrical Car Middle, which has delayed supply since we restarted the plant with the capability improve,” Ford spokesman Mentioned Deep mentioned in an e mail. “We anticipate automobile movement to enhance throughout the fourth quarter.”

Ford slashed costs on Lightning fashions by as a lot as 17% in July to compete with Tesla Inc., which additionally has been slicing costs this yr as EV gross sales development slows within the U.S. Ford CEO Jim Farley has mentioned consumers are balking on the excessive worth of EVs, and he’s put a renewed emphasis on gasoline-electric hybrids, which he predicts will quadruple in gross sales at Ford over the subsequent 5 years.

Ford’s total EV gross sales rose 15% within the third quarter to twenty,962 automobiles. The Mustang Mach-E jumped 43% after present process its personal manufacturing facility growth in Mexico within the first quarter.

“That is just like the capability actions we took on Mach-E earlier within the yr,” Ford gross sales analyst Erich Merkle mentioned of the Lightning gross sales decline. “Mach-E is now reporting a report quarter.”

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