Ford Motor stated Tuesday the manufacturing facility that builds its electrical F-150 Lightning pickup has reopened after a six-week break for upgrades — and that latest worth cuts on the EV have led to a major enhance in demand.

Ford minimize the Lightning’s costs by as a lot as $10,000, relying on trim degree, final month. The least costly model of the truck now begins at about $50,000.

These worth reductions spurred a sixfold enhance in new orders for the Lightning, stated Marin Gjaja, chief buyer officer for Ford’s “Mannequin e” EV unit, in a Tuesday press briefing.

Whereas he declined to supply particular numbers, Gjaja did say that Ford now has “about 45 days’ price” of orders for the electrical truck.

Greater than half of recent orders for the Lightning are for vans with the higher-priced XLT trim, which begins at about $55,000 with 240 miles of EPA-estimated vary, Gjaja stated. Ford is modifying its manufacturing combine to extend provides of the Lightning XLT, he stated.

However latest manufacturing downtime means Lightning supply totals shall be modest till September, he stated. Deliveries ought to ramp sharply as soon as the upgraded manufacturing facility hits its stride.

“We count on gross sales will begin to considerably enhance in later September, and definitely in October as provide begins to quickly ramp within the latter half of the 12 months,” Gjaja stated.

Ford stated Tuesday its Rouge Electrical Automobile Heart, the Lightning’s manufacturing facility in Dearborn, Michigan, has resumed manufacturing of the truck after a deliberate shutdown to make upgrades. The manufacturing facility will have the ability to produce Lightnings at an annual fee of 150,000 automobiles — 3 times its earlier output — by the tip of September.

The manufacturing facility has employed about 1,200 new workers to assist the manufacturing enhance, based on Debbie Manzano, Ford’s manufacturing director. These new workers will full coaching in about three weeks, she stated.

Ford can also be ramping up manufacturing on the factories that offer battery packs and electrical motors for the Lightning, Manzano stated.