Ford made it loud and clear to General Motors that its F-150 Lightning pickup truck is now on sale in the world's biggest EV market: Norway. The Blue Oval has just released a new video showcasing its immensely popular EV truck driving in the snow-covered Norwegian landscape, a country where EVs accounted for 79% of new passenger vehicle registration in 2022, according to the World Economic Forum.

But there's another key reason why Ford is pushing this campaign: GM released and paid for some very expensive Super Bowl EV-focused commercials called "No Way, Norway" starring actor and comedian Will Ferrell over the past few years.

As we all know, GM aims to become an EV-only automaker by around 2035, though Ford has yet to make such a specific declaration. But sticking it to GM by announcing the F-150 Lightning is now on sale in Norway is undoubtedly entertaining.

"Everything we've learned from almost half a century of producing America's best-selling truck has helped us make F-150 Lightning the truck of the future. It is truly a great accolade for the Lightning team to have customers demand this vehicle near and now far!" said Darren Palmer, vice president of Electric Vehicle Programs at Ford Model e. "Ingenuity runs through this truck inside and out. I strongly encourage our future Norwegian customers to put this truck to the test for all their outdoor adventures."

Interestingly, Norwegians must apply to purchase the sole F-150 Lightning trim they're being offered, the Lariat Launch Edition, which is the Super Crew Cab body style with the Antimatter Blue metallic exterior. Ford also said it'd be offered in limited numbers but didn't disclose an exact figure. Ford says it has 70 authorized EV dealers nationwide with the necessary EV infrastructure where customers can charge their trucks and, if necessary, have them serviced.

The Lightning will be joining the Mustang Mach-E (which previously had some overheating issues in Norway) and E-Transit on showroom floors. As for GM, it has already unveiled the Chevy Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV, but both won't arrive until next year, but they'll be worthy competitors. Basically, Ford is taking full advantage of being first to market - even beating the long-delayed Tesla Cybertruck - with an EV truck whose popularity is soaring in the US as well.

A couple of months ago, it announced plans to double Lightning production capacity to 150,000 units annually. GM and Ram have a lot of ground to make up but make no mistake that the era of EV trucks has arrived. The competition and the friendly competitive banter are sure to increase.