Electric Ford F-150 Lightning under study

The all-new, all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning is now one step closer to Australia following confirmation that a right-hand drive remanufacturing operation for the US-built full-size pick-up will start production in Melbourne from mid-2023.

The launch range will be limited to a sole combustion engine option – a 3.5-litre twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 petrol engine – but Ford Australia chief Andrew Birkic has confirmed that other powertrain options, from the full-electric Lightning through to the top-shelf high-performance Raptor R, will be considered.

That’s on the proviso that the new Melbourne-based remanufacturing program forged with RMA Automotive – the first of its kind in the Ford world – proves to be a success, with market demand in Australia and New Zealand justifying the investment and providing scope for expansion.

Announcing this week that the factory-backed Ford F-150 was returning to Australia after a 15-year absence, Birkic said the company was keen to look at “other opportunities” beyond the launch range, with Lightning an obvious contender.

“It’s an amazing product and we’re seeing the investment in Tennessee and Kentucky to support that,” he said.

“We’ve always got an open mind … we will always have an open mind and look at other opportunities, but right now we are very, very dedicated to ensuring that we deliver a very quality remanufactured product [F-150 EcoBoost V6].”

The local Ford boss went on to say that he had no doubt the almost six-metre-long F-150 EV would attract strong interest in Australia, but emphasised that the US car-maker’s first priority was to meet the insatiable appetite for the Lightning in North America.

“Absolutely love the Lightning, it’s incredible, we love it, but really we just do need to ensure we take the appropriate steps and that’s what we’re trying to do,” he said.

“We’re always open, we’re always looking, and that’s what we have to do.”

Ford Australia’s first electric vehicle – and potentially its first electrified vehicle following delays in launching the plug-in hybrid Escape here – will be the Ford E-Transit delivery van in mid-2022.

The company has promised to release five electrified models by 2025, and apart from the F-150 Lightning other candidates could include the Mustang Mach-E, the Mondeo Evos and PHEV versions of the new Ranger and Everest.

The possibilities for expansion of Ford’s Aussie F-150 program don’t stop with the Lightning; the North American Ford F-150 portfolio is packed with a variety of powertrains and drive configurations, some of which could also be a good fit for our market.

These include a 5.0-litre V8 (298kW/556Nm), 3.5-litre PowerBoost V6 hybrid (321kW/773Nm) and a 3.0-litre Power Stroke V6 diesel (186kW/596Nm).

The F-150 Raptor uses a circa-340kW version of the EcoBoost V6, while an F-150 Raptor R flagship is also in the pipeline and is expected to be fitted with a version of the supercharged (566kW) 5.2-litre Predator V8 that’s used in the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.

Birkic wouldn’t be drawn on whether the Raptor would take preference over the Lightning for possible right-hand drive conversion, but he made it clear that early success of the new Aussie remanufacturing program would “absolutely” influence whether other F-150 models would be brought to our market.

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