Ford To Reopen Lightning Orders; Maintains Some Prices, Raises Others

With Ford reopening its order banks today, the next wave of reservation holders of the popular F-150 Lightning electric will see their pickups having new improvements, including a boost in its standard range battery models, according to an EPA-estimated targeted range of 240 miles, plus a new Pro Trailer Hitch Assist technology.

And because of supply chain issues with limited parts availability, Ford will raise the price of the F-150 Lightning between $6,000 and $8,500 as the order banks open. Ford is adjusting the MSRP on the F-150 Lightning for the first time since the pickup was revealed in May 2021. However, the automaker has honored the MSRP for all customer orders. The MSRP adjustment is due to significant material cost increases and other factors.

Private Offers For Those Who Waited

Lightning reservation holders who previously received an invitation to order but elected to extend their reservation because their vehicle specification was unavailable will receive a private offer for use in upcoming order waves.

"Current order-holders awaiting delivery are not impacted by these price adjustments," Marin Gjaja, chief customer officer, Model e, said. "We've announced pricing ahead of reopening order banks so our reservation holders can make an informed decision around ordering a Lightning."

As to the program/industry first, the Pro Trailer Hitch Assist automatically controls steering, throttle, and brake inputs to make hitching trailers easier. Pro Trailer Hitch Assist is standard on the Tow Technology Package, available on Pro, XLT, Lariat, and the Platinum trim.

Standard Battery Range Increased

Meantime, starting in the fall, vehicles built with the standard range battery, available on Pro, XLT, and Lariat trims, will have a targeted EPA-estimated range of 240 miles – up from 230 miles.

F-150 Lightning customers can choose two new colors among the 10 available options, Avalanche Gray and Azure Gray metallic tri-coat. Those colors replace Atlas Blue, Ice Blue Silver, and Smoked Quartz Metallic, unavailable on models built starting this fall.

The new Ford Pro Special Service Vehicle Package is now available for fleet customers on F-150 Lightning Pro models. The package includes police-grade heavy-duty cloth front seats, built-in steel intrusion plates, and roof-mounted LED warning beacons.

Best-Selling Pickup Pricing

The all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup is part of the Ford F-Series, the best-selling truck in America for 45 years. The first customer deliveries began in May, with over 4,400 sold year to date.
Here's a listing of the new overall pricing – MSRP – for the Lightning.
F-150 Lightning MSRP

• Pro $46,974
• XLT $59,474
• XLT High $68,474
• XLT High / Extended Range $80,974
• Lariat $74,474
• Lariat Extended Range $85,974
• Platinum Extended Range $96,874

MSRP excludes destination/delivery fees, government fees and taxes, any finance charges, dealer processing charges, electronic filing charges, and emission testing charges.

Marc Stern has been an automotive writer since 1971 when an otherwise normal news editor said, "You're our new car editor," and dumped about 27 pounds of auto stuff on my desk. I was in heaven as a gearhead from my early days. As a teen, I spent the usual number of misspent hours hanging out at gas stations Shell and Texaco (a big thing in my youth) and working on cars. From there on, it was a straight line to my first column for the paper, "You Auto Know," an enterprise I handled faithfully for 32 years. Not many people know that I also handled computer documentation for a good part of my living while writing YAN. My best writing, though, was always in cars. My work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, Mechanix Illustrated, AutoWeek, SuperStock, Trailer Life, Old Cars Weekly, Special Interest Autos, etc. You can follow me on: Twitter or Facebook.