Ford, having seen a mere 65 percent increase in sales from 2022 t0 2023, is tapping the brakes on production of the Ford Lightning pickup truck.
Fair enough.
The company underlines that this is a temporary slowdown for demand to catch up, not abandonment of the sector, which they know is the only way forward to remain a viable company.
What kind of trucks are selling? Plug in hybrids, foremost, as well as traditional ICE vehicles. Exactly what you’d think if there was uncertainty about the rollout of charging infrastructure (there is) as well as a well coordinated, fossil fueled anti-EV PR campaign ongoing.
I would hope that auto executives who understand the dynamics would start to mount a counterattack on the information side, because the demand for EVs is rocketing globally, and not going to turn around. The Chinese, among others, know this, and are eyeing the US market hungrily.
Note: the following is a news piece produced by CGTN, a Chinese news service.
It does quote some legit specialists from Deloitte and JD Power, and there is a lot here that seems accurate, useful and fair.
“What kind of trucks are selling? Plug in hybrids, foremost, as well as traditional ICE vehicles.”
Umm, almost completely ICE F-150s. They sell 50K+ ICE F-150s per month – compared to the 40K EV F-150s sold in all of 2022 and 2023:
https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/ford-f-series-sales-figures/
It’s No Mystery Why the F-150 Lightning EV Isn’t Selling Like Ford Hoped
https://www.motortrend.com/news/ford-f-150-lightning-ev-pickup-truck-production-reduction-report/
The U.S. market is ripe for the Chinese to swoop in.
The Chinese are close to being able to obliterate the US EV market. Expect US auto companies to face bankruptcy.
If a US auto company faces bankruptcy because they dithered about supporting electric vehicles, it would be a Kodak moment.
My point is that the auto companies should have never gotten behind EVs in the first place. They’re not ready for prime time.
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/01/25/elon-musk-says-chinese-ev-makers-will-demolish-other-companies.html