The Ford F-150 Lightning Is Attracting a New Type of Consumer
The Ford F-150 Lightning has been making waves since it was introduced. As one of the first electric trucks from a mainstream manufacturer, the Blue Oval is struggling to keep up with demand. And apparently, some of that demand is coming from some untraditional places. At least in terms of who usually purchases a full-size truck.
Who is the F-150 Lightning for?
As an electric truck, the F-150 Lightning is carving out a spot for itself. It is more expensive than the gasoline-powered F-150, but it still looks like a traditional pickup. If you put the Ford Lightning next to a regular 2023 Ford F-150, it does not look too radical in terms of styling.
Despite looking like a traditional truck, early adopters have been coming from surprising places. According to the Detroit Free Press, more than 60% of folks getting this pickup are under the age of 50. The majority are either Millennials or Gen X.
Another difference is that 70% of buyers have a bachelor’s degree. When it comes to trucks with an internal combustion engine, that number is 42%.
Ford Lightning owners use their truck beds more
Now, research conducted by The Drive shows that a lot of truck owners don’t really do truck stuff. And the Blue Oval does provide some more numbers, showing that about 50% of F-150 owners haul something in their pickup truck bed once a month.
That number jumps to 74% for the Ford F-150 Lightning. Lightning owners reportedly use their truck bed at least once a week at higher rates than the gasoline-powered pickup.
So, although the F-150 Lightning is an electric truck, owners are not shying away from doing truck stuff. That might have something to do with younger people being more active, even if you wouldn’t expect an early adopter of EVs to be the kind of person to do truck stuff on a regular basis.
Is Ford increasing the production of the F-150 Lightning?
As I said before, the Blue Oval has been struggling to keep up with the demand of its electric truck. According to Ford, the new target for production is 150,000 units by the end of 2023. That means tripling production by the end of the year. And hopefully, that will mean more folks can take delivery of this EV.
Another thing worth noting about the Ford Lightning is that its price has steadily increased. It’s not uncommon for auto manufacturers to increase the MSRP of certain models, but the 2023 Lightning definitely is not as cheap as it used to be.
For now, the F-150 Lightning does remain more expensive than its gasoline counterpart. And, it is certainly not as easy to just show up at a dealership and get one. But that’s been the case for a lot of vehicles since supply chain disruptions really started to hit.
There might be some light at the end of the tunnel if Ford is able to triple the production of this electric truck.
