Ford announced on Tuesday that it will double production capacity for an electric version of its best-selling F-150 pickup truck, AFP reported.
The American automaker intends to produce 150,000 F-150 Lightning units a year, with the first deliveries starting in the spring at an electric vehicle plant in Dearborn, Michigan, the company said in a statement.
Ford originally planned to produce 40,000 pickups a year, but after an influx of orders increased the plan to 80,000 units. The company said it is working with suppliers and its own factories to increase production of key parts such as electric batteries.
About three-quarters of orders for the popular pickup truck came from customers who have never owned a Ford vehicle, it said in a statement.
The race to dominate the U.S. electric vehicle market is intensifying, and Ford plans to invest more than $ 30 billion in total in this segment by 2025.
The manufacturer has already announced that it will increase production capacity for its first electric Mustang, a small SUV dubbed the Mach-E, with the goal of reaching over 200,000 units a year by 2023.
