Top Reasons the Ford F-150 Lightning Is Reportedly on the Chopping Block

Things may go from bad to worse for the F-150 Lightning's future prospects. The electric truck's continued existence was already in question:

A September fire at an aluminum supplier forced the automaker to cut F-150 production in half, with assembly of the Lightning EV being put on indefinite pause. Now, the Wall Street Journal reports that Ford executives are actively discussing canceling the electric full-size pickup entirely.

We contacted Ford for comment and received the standard "We don’t comment on speculation about future product plans." It's normal for automakers to decline to share unannounced plans, especially those that are still in flux, as this one seems to be.

Gas and Hybrid F-150s in Short Supply

In the wake of the supplier issue, Ford has funneled its limited supplies of aluminum toward body panels for F-150 gas and hybrid models, presumably because those are the profitable versions. This means the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, which produces the F-150 Lightning, is currently idled. If the Lightning is dropped, that plant might not find a new use until Ford begins producing a new EV. Its only other electric offering is the Mustang Mach-E, which is produced at a plant in Mexico and unaffected by the aluminum shortage.