Ford F-150 Lightning to land in Europe via Norway

Ford has started the international career of its electric pickup F-150 Lightning, as the American manufacturer is preparing for a market launch in Norway. According to Ford, the customer demand for the product and the country’s advanced EV adoption were just too hard to resist.

Although production of Ford’s first electric pickup truck is still struggling to keep up with demand, the Blue Oval has decided to allocate a limited run of F-150 Lightning Lariat Launch Edition vehicles to Norway.

That means that Norway will become the first country outside of the US and Canada to receive the Lightning, and, therefore, also the first European country. Ford is also using this wording in its announcement, so other countries may follow if the demand is there, but no promises yet.

High demand, perfect circumstances

Choosing Norway as the first export country for this electric pickup truck has its reasons. First and foremost, Norway has been at the forefront of EV adoption, with now nearly 80% of new vehicles being fully electric. Norway is also a country with rugged nature and harsh wintry conditions, which suit the F-150’s utilitarian DNA.

But those reasons mean nothing if the demand for the model is not there. In this case, however, Ford doesn’t need to worry: “In my 25 years at Ford, I’ve never seen anything like the passion and demand I’m seeing from drivers right now to get behind the wheel of our F-150 Lightning. I’ve had customers literally banging on my door and pleading for us to bring the electric pickup to Norway,” said Per Gunnar Berg, managing director, Ford Norway.

Only in blue

With all of the puzzle pieces in place, Ford is preparing a very limited run of F-150 Lightnings for export. Customers can apply to buy the truck and can choose any color they want, as long as it’s Antimatter Blue metallic. No word yet on pricing, but the standard Lariat starts at just under $76 000 (€69 100) in the US.

The F-150 Lightning has a 98 kWh (usable) battery, which gives it a range of around 400 km. As a utility vehicle, it offers a payload of 805 kg, a towing capacity of 3,493 kg, and it has Pro Power Onboard to supply up to 2,3 kW to external power tools and appliances. Thanks to a 458 hp and 1 050 Nm powertrain, it can accelerate from 0-100 km/hour in less than five seconds.