You Can Order The 2021 Ford F-150 By Mid-June, Production Set To Begin End Of September

It’s been no secret that the Ford Motor Company has had a rough 2020 financially. The timing of the world pandemic could not have come at a worse time for Ford who was on the cusp of launching many key vehicles.

The highly anticipated Ford Bronco is still set for a reveal and official launch at any point here. Likewise, the oh-so-important next-generation F-150 was due to begin production in mid-August.

We’ve now learned that there are new dates for both orders to be taken and production to begin for the 2021 Ford F-150.

According to f150gen14.com, the order bank for the 2021 Ford F-150 will open June 15, 2020. The previous date was May 11. With Ford plants shuttered and automotive work at a virtual standstill, all deadlines have been pushed back by several weeks.

When Will Production Begin For The 2021 Ford F-150?
Ford announced a slow, gradual startup of their production facilities starting May 4, with a full ramped-up production schedule at their manufacturing facilities starting by May 18. This, of course, is a fluid date that could change and would require the UAW to sign off on, which they have yet to do.

That being said, according to information posted by the forum f150gen14.com, Job One date for production to begin for the 2021 F-150 at the Dearborn Truck Plant (DTP) is now September 28, 2020, which is a delay from the previous date of August 17, 2020.

Likewise, production of the 2021 F-150 is set to begin October 26, 2020 at the Kansas City Plant (KCAP). This is a delay from initial date of September 14.

I reported recently about a tornado that damaged the Borg-Werner plant in South Carolina. This plant provided a key part for all-wheel drive trucks and could affect the production run of the current 2020 Ford F-150. In a statement, Ford said, We are working closely with the supplier to manage the situation and to determine the next steps.”

Ordering a Ford F-150
Just as the order book for the 14th-generation 2021 Ford F-150 is expected to open on June 15, the last expected day to order a 2020 F-150 is supposedly May 29, 2020.

The 2020 Ford F-150 is the last year of the highly-successful 13th generation F-150. With the financial turmoil going on, there are many incentives going on for the purchase of current F-150s. Car dealers are looking to move 2019 and 2020 F-150s off their lots and are offering interest-free financing and long-term financing in order to generate more sales.

For the first quarter of this fiscal year, sales of the F-150 dropped more than 13 percent marking one of the biggest drops in the history of the best-selling nameplate in North America. In a recent financial statement, the company said: “Ford’s overall inventory levels remain in good shape during a period of production downtime and lower industry sales.”

When Will The 2021 F-150 Be Revealed?
We’ve seen plenty of spy photos of this next-gen F-150. We know a lot of the details, as reported here. We even know some of the new colors that will be part of the 2021 F-150 model line.

What we don’t know is when will there be a reveal of this truck. And frankly, nobody at Ford knows either. I’m sure their PR department is anxious to publicize this truck, but considering the uncertainty of pandemic restrictions a lot of their plans have had to change.

It was a certainty that the new F-150 would’ve been the star of the Detroit Auto Show, which was slated for early June but has been cancelled. Considering that orders for the 2021 F-150 will begin June 15, we can assume that some kind of reveal will take place a couple of weeks prior to that. So could some kind of reveal for the 2021 Ford F-150 occur just after Memorial Day?

That is a supposition only with no confirmation from Ford or anyone. But surely, they won’t begin taking orders without at least some kind of soft reveal to the public as well as a hard reveal to the auto dealers.

Be sure to check out the update to this story, with new delayed production dates.

We’ve written plenty about the 2021 F-150 here at Torque News. As we learn more, we will keep you updated. Realize all of this is a fluid situation with nothing set in stone. This makes reporting more challenging, but also means it’s exciting to think about the big changes to the Ford product line (Bronco, F-150, Mustang, Raptor).

Jimmy Dinsmore has been an automotive journalist for more than a decade and been a writer since the high school. His Driver’s Side column features new car reviews and runs in several newspapers throughout the country. He is also co-author of the book “Mustang by Design” and “Ford Trucks: A Unique Look at the Technical History of America’s Most Popular Truck”. Also, Jimmy works in the social media marketing world for a Canadian automotive training aid manufacturing company. Follow Jimmy on Facebook, Twitter, at his special Ford F-150 coverage on Twitter and LinkedIn. You can read the most of Jimmy's stories by searching Torque News Ford for daily Ford vehicle report.