Ford Motors announced Friday that it will hire staff at its Rouge electric vehicle plant in Dearborn, Michigan, as part of production plans for its electric F-150 to better meet customer demand.
Although Ford said Friday that it expects “further growth” in its electric cars in 2024, sales of its F-150 Lightning are expected to be lower than its previous forecast.
A total of 1,400 employees at the Ford Rouge electric vehicle production plant are expected to be affected by the decision, the company said. About some of the affected personnel will be transferred to other Ford plants in the state, Ford said, adding that the Michigan meeting plant will oversee a planned production rampup for two of its gas-powered vehicles: the Bronco SUV and the Ranger pickup truck.
The company previously said it would cut the production of its Lightning model from 3,200 vehicles per week to 1,600 per week.
The changes are designed to reflect softer-than-expected demand from consumers that have forced Ford and other automakers to rethink their near-term spending in the EV space.
“We leverage our production flexibility to offer potential options to our consumers while balancing our expansion and profitability. Customers love the F-150 Lightning, the best-selling EV pickup truck in the U. S. Ford CEO Jim Farley said Friday.
Such Lightning sales increased by as much as 55% in 2023 and are expected to increase further this year. “We see a bright long-term for EVs aimed at express consumers, especially with our upcoming digitally complex EVs and access to Tesla’s charging network starting this year. quarter,” Farley said.
The news comes as Ford and U. S. automakers struggle to adapt to the disconnect between customer enthusiasm and car sales.
While sales of electric vehicles in the U. S. While U. S. sales increased last year (accounting for just over 10% of new car sales in the second half of 2023), lawsuits fell short of automakers’ forecasts, forcing Ford and other corporations to pull out.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL WASHINGTON REVIEWER STORY
Ford announced last year that it would invest $3. 5 billion in an electric vehicle battery plant in Michigan. And in October, it announced it would seek to reduce prices in the electric vehicle sector by about $12 billion, adding that it would postpone the structure of a planned battery plant in Kentucky.