DETROIT – Ford Motor’s upcoming F-150 Lightning electric pickup is already attracting potentially new customers to the automaker. The company on Wednesday said it has received more than 120,000 reservations for the vehicle since its debut in May. Of which, about 75%, or 90,000, are new to Ford, according to the company. While the reservations are non-binding and only require a $100 deposit, such a high percentage of potential new buyers is impressive for any vehicle as well as sales expectations.
A big chunk of those reservations could end up as sales. Ford last month said it has converted about 66% of the 190,000 reservations for its recently launched Bronco SUV to orders. Ford still has a bit of catching up to do to catch up to reservations for Tesla’s Cybertruck. Less than a year after its debut, Tesla in September said it had received well over 500,000 orders for its Cybertruck.
Ford CEO Jim Farley during the company’s second quarter earnings call Wednesday told investors that the company is working with EV battery cell suppliers to increase capacity for its EVs, including the F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E crossover.
Pricing for the F-150 Lightning will range from about 40,000 for a work-oriented truck to more than $90,000 for its top-end model. Consumer-centric models will start at about $53,000, according to the automaker. Ford said customer orders for the F-150 Lightning will begin in the fall, followed by deliveries starting in the spring of 2022.
