Ford's Second Model T Moment Has Arrived

The newly-released Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup may very well become the second most important vehicle launched in American automotive history.

But before I go into that, let me tell you about the first most important vehicle, it being another Ford.

I am speaking of the Model T, one of the first mass-production vehicles. Introduced in 1908, it was purposely designed to be affordable, simple to operate, and durable.

In fact, Henry Ford's Model T put America on wheels, created mass mobility, and went a very long way in creating the American middle class and reshaping the nation's physical landscape.

Over a two-decade span, more than 15 million Tin Lizzies were built, more than any other car in history except for the Volkswagen Beetle.

Now let's literally shift gears and talk first about the Ford F-150 pickup and then the Lightning.

It’s difficult to overstate the importance of the F-150. It finished 2021 as the best-selling vehicle in the United States for the 45th year in a row. As The Washington Post so aptly put it, "It’s a streak that’s older than Star Wars.”

When Ford Motor Co.?debuted its F-Series truck lineup in 1948, advertising campaigns proclaimed the trucks were "Built Stronger to Last Longer." Today, the messaging is "Built Ford Tough." The promise has remained consistent: Utility. Reliability. Functionality.

The truck also has generated higher-than-average loyalty among customers. A 2020 CarGurus survey of current and former pickup truck owners found that 27% of Ford full-size pickup owners would not consider purchasing another brand, compared to 17% among full-size pickup owners in general.

Now onto the Lightning, which is I believe to be Ford's Deja Vu Model T moment. Yes, it is that revolutionary.

“You are about to read a rave review,” the Wall Street Journal’s influential auto writer Dan Neil?warned his audience. "The Lightning represents an American manufacturing triumph, a brand resurrection, a win for working people, a vehicle segment stepping out of the darkness into the light.”

You see, I'm not the only person who believes this.

With dual-motor four-wheel drive and choice of a standard-range battery (230 miles) or extended-range (up to 320 miles), the Lightning is assembled in the new Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Mich., adjacent to existing F-150 production.

The common silhouette of the F-150 belies the change under the hood, where there is, well, nothing. In the space where an engine would normally sit, there is instead the Mega Power Frunk: a 14.1-cubic-foot cargo box with a 400-pound capacity.

Unlike other automakers dipping their toes in electrification, Ford is clearly all in. The proof is in the price of the pudding. With the available $7,500 federal tax credit included, the entry-level Lightning Pro SR tally starts at $32,474. For that, you get a generously equipped truck with a boxed-steel frame, four-wheel drive, 775 lb-ft of torque, locking rear differential, plus vinyl seats and floors.

When fitted with the optional towing and trailering packages ($2,775 combined for Pro models), the Lightning can tow 10,000 pounds and haul 2,235 pounds. And you are still out the door for less than $40,000, which I find simply amazing in comparison to what other EV products are out there. The fact is, nothing compares.

Ford has received 200,000 reservations and plans to produce a run rate of 150,000 per year by the end of 2023. (Ford closed the reservation after 200,000.)

The Lightning will not become one of the most important vehicles in history by impressing environmentalists and technophiles. For Ford's second Model T moment to happen, this truck has to convince construction workers, farmers, ranchers, and everyday truck fans that it can not only do the work but also do it better.

Motortrend Magazine says it will meet the test and fulfill its destiny.

"The Lightning is the best-driving, best-riding, and best-handling F-150 you can buy. The only reasons not to buy one over a gas- or diesel-powered F-150 are that you have nowhere to charge at home, you actually tow hundreds of miles at a time on a regular basis, or you simply don't like—or won't let yourself like—electric vehicles. All other reasons are invalid."

Dean Barber is the principal of Dallas-based BBA, offering consulting services to economic development organizations and companies.?We ask the right questions and?find practical and tactical solutions that work.?Need a speaker? Call Dean. Alternatively, go to barberadvisors.com and subscribe to his weekly newsletter The Rising Tide.