F-150

Make
Ford
Segment
Sports Car

Ford has a good problem on its hands: Demand is so robust for its vehicles that it has sold out of 2022 models in some cases. The all-electric Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning are completely cashed out until 2023, the Maverick and Bronco are done, and now Ford has another vehicle to add to the list. Users on the F-150 Gen 14 Forum shared a dealer letter, in which the automaker states that the 2022 F-150 is sold out.

The letter tells dealers that order banks closed Friday, May 13, and notes that retail orders will resume for 2023 in July. The letter covers all F-150 trims except for the Raptor, and Ford notes that both hybrid and gas powertrains are included. Dealers have until 10 pm on May 19 to verify and complete the orders before Ford's online ordering software shuts the door.

We don't know how many orders Ford has for the F-150, but the F-Series truck line routinely sells in the hundreds of thousands of units each quarter, making it the best-selling pickup in the country. Despite its cash cow status, Ford's had a rough go with the F-150 in 2022, as supply chain shortages and issues have led to temporary production shutdowns and other delays.

That Ford will sell a ton of trucks every year almost feels like a given at this point, so it's not surprising that an electric variant sold out, too. The F-150 Lightning had its official debut in April and sold out before it crossed the stage. Ford had teased the truck for almost a year before, so it wasn't a secret, but such red-hot demand for a brand-new product caught Ford slightly off guard. Before shutting the order banks for that truck, Ford announced that it had collected 200,000 reservations, leading it to double production targets.

The world is changing so quickly that it's hard to call anything a "new normal," but it certainly seems that we're heading towards a situation where preordering a car is the only way to get one. Dealer franchise laws and regulations prevent automakers from selling direct to consumers in many areas, but Ford encourages buyers to configure and order the vehicle they want rather than waiting to find one on a dealer's lot. Ordering doesn't prevent markups and somewhat shady sales practices, despite automakers' increasingly ominous threats, but it does help ensure that a buyer won't be fighting for a chance to own a car.