Ford has announced a massive electric vehicle production ramp for this year, leveraging its lead over traditional rivals.
Despite Ford entering the electric vehicle market significantly behind Tesla and even General Motors, its vehicles have quickly outpaced traditional rivals, making the Blue Oval the second most popular electric vehicle brand in the United States. Ford has now announced its new electric vehicle production ram, hoping to maintain its lead as more competitors enter the market in the coming years.
The latest electric vehicle production ramp aims to ramp up production of Ford’s most popular models. The Ford Mustang Mach-E, the electric SUV that helped cement Ford’s lead in electric vehicles after its 2021 launch and remains the brand’s most popular electric vehicle, receives the biggest bump, while the F-150 Lightning and E-Transit subsequently receive more minor production bumps.
The Mustang Mach-E production ramp began last week and aims to double hourly production, with a year-end target of an annual turnover rate of 210,000 vehicles. The F-150 Lightning, which will resume production on the 13th of this month, aims to triple annual production to an annual rate of 150,000 vehicles by the end of the year. The truck’s $2 billion production ramp at Ford’s three production plants in Michigan, including its main production plant, the Rouge EV Center.
The E-Transit receives a more conservative production increase, aiming for an annual operating rate of 38,000 vehicles at the Kansas City Assembly Plant, which manufactures the Transit and E-Transit vans.
Other popular models, including the Ford Maverick and Ford Bronco Sport, are also receiving production ramps to help the Blue Oval stay ahead of demand for popular and affordable models.
Ford’s latest electric vehicle production push is part of its broader plan to reach an annual operating rate of 2 million vehicles by 2026.
The production jump follows Ford’s recently announced sales statistics for February, in which its electric vehicle sales jumped 68%, helping the company increase its overall market share by 1.4%.
Ford’s aggressive electric vehicle production ramp only becomes that much more apparent compared to its big three siblings. General Motors, which beat Ford to the electric vehicle market with the popular Chevy Bolt model, has yet to introduce competitors to Ford’s Mustang Mach-E or F-150 Lighting and plans to begin production of its Chevy Silverado. EV at the end of this year. Those looking for a midsize electric SUV from GM, like the Chevy Equinox EV or Blazer EV, are forced to wait even longer, with both models arriving in 2024.
That’s not to say GM hasn’t planned a production ramp at all. General Motors CEO Mary Barra said the automaker would produce 400,000 electric vehicles “in North America in 2022 and 2023.” However, model-specific production figures have yet to be released.
Stellantis brands are even further behind. RAM plans to introduce its first all-electric truck, the RAM 1500 REV, in 2025. Dodge has yet to reveal any electric vehicles in production-ready form. And Jeep, while recently introducing its first electric vehicle in Europe, is only slightly ahead of its sister brands, with the first Jeep electric vehicles also arriving in North America in 2025.
Ford is expected to remain a leader in electrification, at least relative to the other big three manufacturers, and potentially globally, and this significant ramp up of electric vehicle production will likely be key to maintaining that position.
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