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I'm not a truck guy, but the Ford Lightning looks pretty cool. I wish it wasn't so expensive.

• thelastparadise 3y ago
  > I wish it wasn't so expensive And yet they're making a huge loss on each unit sold.
  • redundantly 3y ago
    Loss? Are you thinking of Rivian?
    • readthenotes1 3y ago
      https://www.thestreet.com/technology/ford-loses-nearly-60000-for-every-electric-vehicle-sold https://www.thestreet.com/technology/ford-loses-nearly-60000... Ford as well
      • redundantly 3y ago
        I'd read that link, but the ads on that site are cancerous. I didn't know Ford was also operating at a loss on their EV trucks as well.
        • mikeyouse 3y ago
          It's incoherent anyway - in the annoying way these analyst reports often are. Just confusing startup and presales costs with steady-state operations to claim they're losing massive amounts of money when it's obviously just the launch expense + engineering + prototyping amortized over the first few thousand cars they'd sold. By that silly measure, they've already cut "losses" to only $30k/sale.
  • rtkwe 3y ago
    All of those reports strike me as deceptive. The reports are just for the current state which include startup and R&D costs that will be recouped over the lifetime of that model.
• belltaco 3y ago
  A lot of the covid supply chain high prices were(and are being) captured by car dealerships who then used a portion to buy off politicians to stop car companies from selling cars directly, on top of existing laws. E.g. https://reason.com/2023/06/15/florida-doubles-down-on-anti-competitive-car-dealership-law/#:~:text=Ron%20DeSantis%20signed%20H.B.%20637,dealerships%20to%20act%20as%20middlemen https://reason.com/2023/06/15/florida-doubles-down-on-anti-c.... So car companies couldn't build a rainy day cash fund or increase wages or pay bonuses(or pay dividends to shareholders). Dealer markups on some high demand vehicles are still insane, easily 10k to 20k+. I wish more car companies could sell directly like Tesla does(which is banned from selling in several states including Texas where they have a big new factory).
  • onlyrealcuzzo 3y ago
    > Dealer markups on some high demand vehicles are still insane, easily 10k to 20k+. So there's obviously a demand for them at that price. Sure, maybe Ford should be able to sell cars themselves if they want to. But they'd be selling them at the same price and pocketing that extra $10-$20k themselves, rather than letting the consumer keep it.
    • nradov 3y ago
      Manufacturers tend not to raise prices when there is a shortage due to supply constraints. This hurts their revenue but maintains brand loyalty. Many pickup truck buyers are intensely loyal to a particular brand and the manufacturers are smart enough not to burn that goodwill. They would ban dealer mark-ups if they could.
  • csours 3y ago
    Disclosure: I work for GM. Anything here is solely my own opinion or understanding. For the highest priced and shortest supply vehicles, yes, dealerships added huge "dealership fees"; automakers did quite well themselves. The bonuses (for salaried employees) and profit sharing (for hourly union workers) were good in the past few years.
• knubie 3y ago
  I'd be really interested in a much smaller / cheaper version, like an all-electric maverick.
  • jstarfish 3y ago
    Yeah. The practical uses for an F150 (towing, hauling) seem ridiculous for an EV. The Ranger/Maverick would have been better candidates.
• xyst 3y ago
  It's the F-150, but with an electric motor. What's "cool" about it? There's nothing fresh. Same boring design. Throw in a cool marketing name "F-150 LiGhTnInG" and a battery pack and people think this is "innovation"? What a joke.
  • ncallaway 3y ago
    > What's "cool" about it? People like electronic trucks, and people like the Ford F-150. > There's nothing fresh. Same boring design. It’s literally the top selling vehicle in America. Clearly people are OK with the design. But now it’s an electric truck. > Throw in a cool marketing name "F-150 LiGhTnInG" and a battery pack and people think this is "innovation"? I don’t think many people think it’s anything beyond an electric F-150. That’s enough for a whole lot of people.
    • anjel 3y ago
      A big enough battery that its designed to plug into your home not just to charge but also as a powerwall for your house. Just like the Maverick used to. /S
  • Krastan 3y ago
    Except that it is different because it has a frunk. So many other companies are putting out electric cars but can't figure out how to have a frunk, let alone one as big as the f150's.
  • elliotec 3y ago
    What makes you think there’s a point to anything about it other than that it’s electric? The boring design is a good thing. It’s not trying to be “cool” or even innovative really. It’s simply trying to be electric.
  • serf 3y ago
    the namesake Lightning was an F150 gussied up with some suspension work and a supercharger, it sort of fits.
• huytersd 3y ago
  I wanted it when it was 45k, it’s too expensive now.
• mynameisash 3y ago
  The morning after the Lightning announcement, I put money down on one. I've never bought a brand new vehicle, never owned a truck, never owned a Ford. That's how impressive the vehicle was - its features AND price. Then the wait came, and with it, the price hike. I was expecting around $40k or so, all in. By the time I was able to place an order, I could only get a premium trim, and I would have had to pay beyond $75k, iirc. So I won't be buying a Ford anytime soon. Too bad.