DETROIT — According to a media report, Ford is going to significantly decrease the number of hourly workers at the factory that produces the Ford F-150 Lightning due to slow electric vehicle sales.
Ford started the year by reducing the production of the F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck following slower-than-expected growth in electric vehicle sales.
Although electric vehicle sales are increasing in the U.S., they are not meeting the industry's ambitious timetable, and many consumers are opting for hybrid vehicles instead.
Ford sold slightly more than 24,000 Lightnings last year, which was a 55% increase from 2022. However, dealers are seeing slower sales and increasing inventories of the electric truck, which has a starting price of just under $50,000.
The Detroit Free Press and Louisville Courier reported on Wednesday that Ford will start reducing the hourly workforce at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Mich. Ford spokeswoman Jessica Enoch confirmed this information.
Out of the 2,100 workers at the Dearborn facility, a third will remain, according to Enoch. Ford plans to relocate 700 workers to the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne to work on the Bronco and Ranger. The remaining 700 workers will either take a retirement package offered during last year’s contract talks with the United Auto Workers, or be reassigned in southeast Michigan. Ford is adding a third crew at Michigan Assembly, the paper reported.
Shares of Ford Motor Co. were essentially flat before the opening bell.
