Because...you know...why not?

https://www.autonews.com/automakers-...-150-lightning

I'll admit to feeling really let down by the Lightning after all of these increases. I'd still happily own one for the price advertised last year, but this is getting silly.

 

 

At this point I just laugh. They can certainly do this as long as the market supports it, but it really turns off a lot of us. I've never bought a new GM product before, but I'd go after a Silverado EV long before I ever bought myself to reconsider the Lightning.

Major congrats to @Tofan and others who got the 2022s before the price increase. As they say, timing is everything.

 

Good grief!

 

Just eliminate the Pro model already and start everyone on XLT. Why even pretend they want to sell the lowest trim at all.

 

That’s a good point. The Pro model just doesn’t make any sense anymore.

 

I am honestly at a loss as to who Ford is envisioning will buy their vehicle in 10 years. They completely alienated sedan, hatchback, and non-Mustang coupe buyers, the escape and edge are piling up on dealership lots near me with thousands on the hood and no takers while Kia and Hyundai can't beat crossover buyers off with 5k markup sticks, the EcoSport is such a dismal vehicle they are discontinued while the Japanese are having a field day with compact crossovers like HR-V, Corolla Cross, and Crosstrek. Now Ford is pissing off truck buyers with astronomical prices and walled trim levels(see the '23 SD discussions on what has been pulled there), and F150s are even rapidly approaching 50k average trucks. Meanwhile how many 80k Lightnings or Mexican built Mach Es can they even build to keep some market share?

 

My notice to convert my reservation to an order came in today. I have until early January to decide. When I reserved, a Lariat was $63k. Today, a basic Lariat SR I’d $78k. No freaking way. I’ll put 200k on it in four years. Who in their their mind will buy an electric truck four years old with 200k on the ticker? The batteries will probably be shot. So will be my resale value. No thanks. The Lightning with its high price, poor range, no tow distance, is nothing more than a yuppie or DINK vehicle for getting groceries or a trip to the Home Depa on saturdays for mommas garden. It’s not a real work truck.
I’d have to upgrade my house electric service. ComEd said $6k. Little incentive there. Will likely miss the tax incentive in 2023 when it would come in. What’s my incentive to buy? What is ANYONES incentive to buy an EV unless you drive 10k a year and work 10 miles from home. If the intent of an EV is to stop and charge every day 1 or 2x at a public Charger, which for now, by me, is usually a drip instead of a super charger, FORGET IT!
Been a die-hard Ford guy for ever. Owned close to 30 Ford trucks as I’ve driven about 3M miles. With this blunder and the Bronco and Maverick blunders, I’m about to buy my last truck and put it in the barn for the weekend, and buy a runner for daily. The Blue Oval has me ticked off. They hyped it all and screwed us all.

 

Sorry to hear about the timing. Amazing how different things looked if we could have taken delivery a year ago. I have a couple of thoughts, though...

I don't think so. Tesla is the standard I commonly reference because they were the first to produce a mass-market car that racks up high mileage. And they've done really well. During my time in the Army, I went to initial training with a guy who I recently reconnected with on a Tesla group. He bought his 2019 Model 3 right after I did, but he drives a ton of miles. His car's data is shared to a tracking website called TeslaFi, and he's over 210K now. His car is showing an estimated range of 309 miles, which is right at the EPA rating when it was new.

Tesla batteries are bound to have differences from Ford batteries, but I wouldn't make the assumption that it would be worn out. The Nissan Leaf is the only car that I've seen have common battery failures with higher mileage or use, and that's largely been blamed on their primitive air-cooled battery management system.

That's my long-winded way of saying that EVs are a lot more of a proven technology that most think. I put 42K in the two years that I owned my Tesla, and nearly 11K in the five months that I've had my EV6. One guy on an EV6 forum I'm part of has 42K on his car since April. The Lightning is no longer a good value, and I stopped suggesting it to those I know because of the price hikes. That doesn't mean it's not a capable truck, though.

 

Heard and agreed. Ford and I are reaching a crossroads and I'm no longer will to pay the price. I feel as though Ford has jacked the price of everything else to shore up it's line of EV's.

A friend of mine up home in Maine who has always been a GM fanboy has said the same as I am and went out and bought a 2023 Hyundai Tuscan AWD and couldn't be happier. In fact, all of my friends and family up home are migrating towards the K twins and giving up the high dollar Rams, Jimmies and Fords.

 

For the most part, Japanese and Korean manufacturers make a great product. We are product loyal, not brand loyal. The vehicle could have a McDonald's badge on the front of it if it was a good product, we do not care.

I have seen that the Lightning is 30% - 40% more than what it debuted at just a short time ago. That seems very steep to me in such a short time, but I am someone who accounts for every penny we spend, especially during these times.

 

The price for Li has INCREASED over 800% in the last two years-it looks as if it will continue to rise, as long as our govt. is willing to subsidize batteries with CCP refined Li at the rate of $7500 per vehicle, there's no end in sight for the continuous increases.

 

This. Exactly this. x100. Marvin the Martian could get into the car business, and I’d buy from him if the deal made sense and the value was there.

I don’t think we can write off Ford’s EV expansion as the cause of their price increases. They’re a bit of an outlier in the market with EV pricing; nobody has increased prices like they have over the last year. Tesla just chopped prices for the second time that I can remember. Kia/Hyundai have been making EVs for the last few years, and recently did a major expansion with the launch of their E-GMP cars. Yet those shiny, new, class-leading EVs are being made and sold at an incredible value.

I think Ford is commanding a premium because they can. Much like dealers were doing during the funny market we’ve had over the last two years. They may be using that to pay for their expansion, but others aren’t passing on those costs, and you can see in my sig where my dollars went.

 

....................

 

It is painful to watch that even though we have the technical know-how available to push a muti-pronged approach to address energy use, one of which all major manufacturers more or less perfected in the mid 2000s which is making lighter, more efficient appliances that people can drive 40+ gallons on a gallon of gasoline and still reasonably safe, ie sub-3000lb sedans and hatchbacks that got 30+ in the city and 40+ on the highway, yet that is being intentionally phased out to push for 80-100k 6000-9000lb EVs for the sake of....I don't know what exactly, aside from making transportation more unaffordable for the masses. People keep saying "if you want an affordable EV, buy a Bolt" but how many sub-30k Bolts are actually being sold?

I love my Ford truck for what I use it for. I like my Crown Victoria when the family goes on trips, but I also enjoy whipping around my little 15 year old run-about on days I don't need a massive 7000lb vehicle to go run errands or visit family. It's comfortable, it can carry lot of stuff in the trunk, the maintenance and tires are relatively affordable, and with the manual I get 45mpg at 60mph. Even the little Fiestas and Focuses that were available up until a few years ago were phenomenally useful little utilitarian cars when equipped with the manual tranny.

But no, that would be too sensible. Let's make the CCP rich again. lol.