Ford F-150 Lightning order books closed for 2022

Ford has closed the books on the 2022 F-150 Lightning. Interest in the electric pickup has soundly surpassed expectations, with reservations across all trim levels now spoken for. Now when you go to Ford's F-150 Lighting landing page, a message reads, "Due to high demand, the current model year is no longer available for retail order. Contact your dealer for more information."

Back in January, Ford stopped taking reservations for for fleet orders after receiving 200,000 in a matter of months. It even prompted the company to nearly double F-150 Lighting production from a planned 80,000 per year to 150,000. Then, just a couple of weeks ago, Ford sent a letter to dealers letting them know that retail customers could no longer order the $39,974 2022 F-150 Lightning Pro and $52,974 F-150 Lightning XLT.

Now the $67,474 F-150 Lightning Lariat and the $90,874 F-150 Lightning Platinum have met that same fate.As Ford Authority reported, the company estimates that 80% of reservation holders will end up buying the truck, and that some of them will already be waiting for 2023 model year production. Add to that the chip shortage, now predicted to last into 2024, and you can probably expect a long wait before the orders open back up.

However, all is not lost. While retail customer orders are closed, you can wait for next year's order books to open, or you might be able to snag a 2022 from a dealer's allotment. You won't have the choice of your specific options and color from dealer stock, though, unless you get really lucky. Even so, given the demand of the F-150 Lightning, and of new cars in general, you might be looking at a significant markup. Recently there have also been cases of enterprising flippers buying hard-to-get cars and selling them for a tidy profit on auction sites soon after taking delivery.

Ford has been knocking it out of the park recently, with bona fide hits like the Bronco and Mustang Mach-E. Incidentally, reservations for the latter are also closed, though the message is slightly different. It reads "Due to high demand, the current model year is no longer available for retail order. Limited inventory may be available at selected dealers. Contact your dealer for more information."

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