Demand for the all-new Ford F-150 Lightning is so high the Blue Oval itself was even caught off-guard. Very quickly it made plans to double production and invest more money into the program. It's not exactly a bad problem to have but it's still immensely frustrating for customers anxious to own one. Let's face it: the Tesla Cybertruck's design isn't for everyone and the Rivian R1T isn't cheap. The $40k F-150 Lightning base model, however, is totally doable. And some Ford dealerships have noticed.

Via Electrek, several Ford dealers are already marking up the fully electric truck. In one case, a dealer in Virginia is charging $30,000 above sticker. Sometimes the markup is as little as $1,000 but the majority hover at around $10,000 over MSRP.

Bear in mind F-150 Lightning customers initially placed an online reservation with a $100 refundable deposit. It's up to dealers to turn those reservations into actual orders. Some never miss out on an opportunity to make extra money from others' desperation. Unfortunately, there's very little Ford can do about this. Dealers are private franchises and they're legally allowed to set a vehicle's price as they see fit. The MSRP is exactly that: Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (keyword suggested).

Koons Ford of Falls Church, Virginia recently sent out an email to reservation holders stating the following: "If you would like to be one of the first 25 orders there will be a $30,000 markup adjustment. All other orders will have a $10,000 market adjustment to the MSRP. We will not be honoring any plan pricing at this time."

An additional $5k deposit is required that will go towards the final purchase price. It's an unfortunate but expected situation. Ford is planning to build just 15,000 F-150 Lightning units for the 2022 model year. This will increase to 55,000 in 2023 and 80,000 the following year. The problem is, Ford has around 200,000 reservations so far. The math just doesn't add up.

The good news is that in 2025 a completely redesigned model will arrive. By that time, Ford will hopefully have resolved any production issues so that anyone who orders a truck will get one at the price Ford sets.