Ford to Triple F-150 Lightning Production Capacity; Restarts Rouge Electric Vehicle Center

Ford Motor Company has resumed production of the F-150 Lightning following a six-week shutdown to expand and retool the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center plant to triple manufacturing capacity of the electric truck. With the expansion, Ford will have ability to produce the F-150 Lightning at an annualised rate of 150,000 units. 

The Dearborn, Miichigan-based facility is now is scheduled to build more than 70,000 F-150 Lightning trucks in 2023. 

Layout improvements and new tooling at the plant are designed to help boost efficiency and bolster quality.

Ford says lower prices have helped drive threefold increase in web traffic and sixfold increase in orders for the F-150 Lightning.

Battery pack production is also ramping up at the Rawsonville (Michigan) Components Plant and the Van Dyke (Michigan) Electric Powertrain Center is increasing production of EV power units to match the scale of F-150 Lightning assembly at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center. 

Debbie Manzano, director of manufacturing, Ford, says: “We are all looking forward to getting these F-150 Lightning trucks into the hands of our customers – from the U.S. to Norway. This milestone is the result of a lot of hard work and collaboration.”

“We have learned a lot from our first-ever EV truck customers, including a preference for technology and visual differentiation,” adds Marin Gjaja, chief customer officer, Model e. “We continue to refine the F-150 Lightning lineup to make the jump to an EV truck an easy choice for customers.”  

Ford employs about 177,000 people worldwide.