Ford CEO on F-150 Lightning: 'We are sold out for at least a year or so'
If you want to get behind the wheel of Ford's first-ever all-electric truck dubbed the F-150 Lightning, you will have to wait at least until 2023.
"Even if you know Jim Farley it probably wouldn't matter, we are sold out for at least a year or so," Farley told Yahoo Finance. "And we stopped taking orders unfortunately — in theory, a customer can make an order and then wait for two years, that doesn't make sense."
Farley says Ford has 200,000 reservations for the Lightning.
The auto giant began production of the highly anticipated F-150 Lightning on Tuesday at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, within the historic Rouge Complex in Michigan, where Ford perfected the moving assembly line.
That means that Ford will beat budding EV rival Tesla to market with an electric pickup truck. Tesla's Cybertruck — seen by most car pros as a niche offering due to its high price and design —won't begin production until 2023.
The F-150 Lightning's impressive specs — and attainable price — underscores the strong early consumer demand.
The extended range, battery-powered Lightning promises 10,000 pounds of towing capacity, over the air software updates, and the ability to power your home via a backup power capability.
The current version — which starts at $50,000 or so — boasts a 320-mile range on a charge, 563 horsepower and travels 0 mph to 60 mph in about 4.4 seconds.
Ford's entry level F-150 Lightning starts at $40,000.
"It's a new era for Ford," Farley proclaimed. "Electrifying is a huge moment for the company to grow into this electric digital era."
Brian Sozzi is an editor-at-large and anchor at Yahoo Finance. Follow Sozzi on Twitter @BrianSozzi and on LinkedIn.
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