Cody U. 
Demo vehicles are normally reserved for customers to test drive at the dealership so they could make a more informed purchase decision. And normally, when they’ve reached a couple thousand miles or so, it’s not uncommon for the dealer to sell the demo vehicle at a pretty reasonable rate, compared to a brand new order of the same model. But with that said, Ford Motor Company has made it known it does not want its dealers to sell demo models of the new F-150 Lightning and will invoke hefty fines and squash future opportunities for the dealerships that do sell them.
A letter that was originally sent to dealers only, has leaked on F-150 Lightning Forum. The letter dictates that no dealerships are to sell their allotted demo trucks for an entire six-month period. Doing so would result in a $25,000 fine. Some who saw the letter are saying their local dealerships have already “sold” their demo F-150 Lightning trucks, but are not offering delivery until the six-month period has expired. Other commenters argue the $25,000 wouldn’t be that big of a hit if they could turn right around and sell the all-electric truck for six-figures like the Hummer EV scalpers are. In addition to a fine, Ford mentions it may revoke future demo opportunities for dealers that cross the line.
It will be interesting to see what happens here as there is bound to be at least one dealer to break the rules. The Ford F-150 Lightning began production in late April and has sold out of every available trim. The all-electric truck remains a highly anticipated and highly sought after piece of equipment that can double as a power generator and has piqued the interest of Hollywood’s actors, like The Rock, who expressed interest very early on. Ford has done what it can to step up production and attend to its 200,000 current reservations but has had to keep potential buyers at bay and force them to wait for the 2023 model year to enter its production life cycle before getting a chance at owning one.
