Ford F-150 Lightning’s Tiny Sales

Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) has promoted the fact that its F-150 Lightning outsells the Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) Cybertruck. In the first half of the year, Ford sold 13,029, which was down 16.7% from the year before. That is an average of 72 per day nationwide.

The Ford number is accurate, based on its evaluation of the first quarter of the year. The company says it sold 7,913, according to S&P Global Mobility. Tesla sold only 7,126 Cybertrucks in the same period.

What Ford does not say is that the Lightning launch was one of the greatest debacles in automotive history. In 2022, Executive Chair Bill Ford said the Lightning launch was unusually important to him:

Every time any auto manufacturer does a major launch, they always say it’s the most significant in the company’s history. To put this in perspective … it is probably the most important launch of my career. … This has been a personal journey of mine since I joined the company 43 years ago. And it sort of all culminates on Tuesday with the launch of this vehicle. So I think in many ways, it’s for me, anyway, the most important launch of my career.

Among the problems the Lighting has had is a recall of 29,501 vehicles for a ball joint nut on the front upper control arms that was not tightened to specifications.

A few Lightnings caught on fire because of battery problems. Another recall was due to a steering control problem.

In early 2024, Ford cut Lightning production because of a lack of demand. According to The New York Times, the company “slashed” production plans due to that lack of demand.

Ford CEO Jim Farley once said that his company would produce 600,000 electric vehicles (EVs) a year. If that happens, it will be years from now. In 2021, he said Ford would invest $30 billion in EVs. The company does not have much to show for it.

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