Ford has opened the door for more versions of the F-150 pickup truck to come Down Under, including the electric Lightning.
First reported by Ford Authority and confirmed by CarExpert, the Blue Oval filed with IP Australia on May 11, 2022 for a range of trademarks, including F-150 Lightning and F-150 Tremor.
Trademarking a name is no guarantee a car will come Down Under – Ford owns the Mustang Mach-E trademark in Australia, for example, despite offering no indication we’ll see it in local showrooms in the immediate future.
“Ford Australia submits trademark applications for various brand assets as a normal course of business, but they aren’t necessarily an indication of new branding, badging or product plans,” a spokesperson told CarExpert.
It leaves the door open for those models to come to Australia, however. Ford has foreshadowed the fact it’ll sell five electrified cars locally by 2025, only two of which have been confirmed at this stage.
Along with the Escape PHEV, it’s locked in the e-Transit and e-Transit Custom. That leaves the door open for two more products, one of which could be the Lightning.
Ford has confirmed it’s working on another electric ute, which is likely to ride on a standalone EV platform instead of an adapted internal-combustion one.
If it comes to Australia, the F-150 Lightning will join the EcoBoost V6 models already locked in for our market.
A version of the F-150 pickup truck remanufactured from left- to right-hand drive will be in local Ford showrooms by the middle of 2023, at which point it’ll take on the Ram 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado 1500.
At launch, however, only the mid-range XLT and Lariat (above) models will be sold locally. They’ll be imported from the USA and remanufactured in right-hand drive by RMA Automotive at a facility in Mickleham, Victoria.
Ford is aware of the F-150 Hybrid, Raptor, V8, and electric Lightning options. It hasn’t ruled out bringing them to Australia, but only once the remanufacturing process is established and demand for the EcoBoost has been proven.
The best-selling vehicle in America will be making the trip to Australia for the first time since 1993.
While the F-150 left local showrooms in 1993, its heavier-duty F-250 and F-350 siblings were sold here from 2001 to 2006 by Ford Australia.
It was produced in right-hand drive by Ford in Brazil, and depending on the variant was available with a 5.4-litre petrol V8 and a choice of two turbo diesels: a 4.2-litre six and a 7.3-litre V8.