Ford Australia confirms F-150 Lightning investigation

The Ford F-150 Lightning full-size electric pick-up is under preliminary consideration for Australian introduction.

The dual-motor four-wheel drive Lightning – a name that’s been trademarked in Australia – is being examined as a candidate for Ford-approved local conversion to right-hand drive at a brand-new facility just opened by RMA Automotive Australia in Melbourne.

Ford Australia president Andrew Birkic admitted to investigations into Lightning after a media tour of the facility last week.

“Have we had some preliminaries? Yes. Are we are intrigued by it because of what it offers? Yes,” he admitted.

But Birkic also played down the extent of the investigation into Lightning ‘remanufacturing’ in Australia.

“I think we have to do more work on it. Is there a market? Yes. Are their user cases? Yes, without a doubt I am sure there is. What we know is in Australia we are going to see a greater level of [EV] adoption.”

Currently, Ford and RMAA are focussed on ramping up production at the new facility of the Australian F-150 launch line-up, which comprises XLT and Lariat grades in both short- and long-wheelbase configurations.

Beyond that the next project will be preparing for the MY24 F-150 update that’s just launched in the USA and is due in Australia by late 2024.

The heavy-duty diesel F-250 and F-350 models are also under consideration, and further variants of the F-150 such as the Tremor off-roader and wild F-150 Raptor are potential candidates. The Ranger-based Bronco is confirmed to be of interest.

Birkic said further investigation into Lightning for Australia “will come in the fullness time”.

“We just need to prove that we can do the [RHD] remanufacturing, we can do it with a lens on quality, our customers love it and in the field in six months [after launch] that what we know the quality is good.”

Lightning was among the first full-size electric pick-ups to go on sale in the USA, where the Chevrolet Silverado EV is launching now, while the Tesla Cybertruck should also commence deliveries this year. The RAM 1500 REV is scheduled for 2024. All these vehicles are a chance to come to Australia.

Initial Lightning production fell way behind demand but that has started to balance out more recently as Ford builds up assembly line capacity to 150,000 units per annum.

That’s good news for Ford Australia, as it would have to source Lightning vehicles from the River Rouge Plant in Michigan and ship them to Australia for local conversion.

But complicating things is the fact a full-size pick-up based on a simpler new EV-specific platform and built at the new Blue Oval City plant in Tennessee is scheduled for 2025, further expanding production and availability. The Lightning could be discontinued as soon as 2026, US industry website Automotive News suggests.

“One of the key elements of the formula is… can you get supply? Birkic said. “They [Lightning production] are fully spoken for and they are building that large facility. Once all those pieces fall into place then there may be opportunities.”

For everything you auto know about EVs, listen to carsales' Watts Under the Bonnet: the electric car podcast

Join the conversation at 

our Facebook page

Or email us at 

editor@carsales.com.au