Ford pausing F-150 Lighting electric truck production for six weeks

Ford will pause production of its F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck from Nov. 18 to Jan. 6, reports Reuters.

“We continue to adjust production for an optimal mix of sales growth and profitability,” the automaker said in a statement to Reuters regarding the six-week production pause, which overlaps with a week in December when all Ford factories are closed for the holidays.

Ford said this month that U.S. EV sales for its namesake brand were up 45% this year, and that Lightning sales had more than doubled to 7,100 trucks in the three months ending Sept. 30, Reuters noted, adding that this means the Lightning makes up a tiny 3.6% of total F-150 sales.

The production pause comes after Ford in April cut production to just one shift. The automaker also slowed production in 2023 rather than further lowering…