Top Car News Today: Ford F-150 Lightning, $80,000 Cadillacs, and More

Today's car news! From the death (and reincarnation) of the F-150 Lightning, to silly high transaction prices for new Cadillacs, to a pay-to-play frunk, things aren’t the way they were yesterday. Here, we’ll round up the biggest news stories of the last 24 hours and divvy them up into bite-sized chunks that get right to the heart of the story, allowing you to go deeper if you want.

Ford kills the F-150 Lightning...sorta

Ford will end production of the F-150 Lightning, the brand's full-size electric truck, this year. The automaker initially suspended production after a series of fires hit its supplier. Deciding to shift production to more profitable gas and hybrid F-150s, which it still had to halve production of, Ford later made the decision to kill the model entirely. Enter a future extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) that Ford says will be able to tow "like a freight train" and provide all the benefits of an EV with none of the supposed compromise. To find out just how it plans to do that, read on below.

American buyers are dropping serious cash on their Caddys

The average transaction price for a new car is right around the $50,000 mark. High, right? For most people, it's largely unaffordable, and those who can afford it are financing at record term lengths. But there's a different reality entirely over at Cadillac, where buyers are, on average, paying more for their cars than similar vehicles from Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and similar luxury automakers. Driving sales are models like its EVs, the Lyriq, Optiq, and Vistiq, as well as models like the Escalade range. To find out how much more American buyers are paying for Cadillac models, get the full story below.

EV preferences signal a big sales shift next year

There’s been a tonal shift when it comes to EVs. It’s not an assertion, either. Ford has shifted its focus toward hybrids, as have several other automakers. Where we once thought electrification would dominate automakers’ lineups, we’re now seeing a regression to meet consumer demand for other powertrains. A new study from CDK Global on consumer sentiment shows interest in EVs among gas-powered vehicle drivers has dropped significantly, and indicates a trend that could continue to grow. To get all the hard data, read on below.

Ford will charge you for a frunk

Ford’s new Mustang Mach-E brand manager, Teddy Ankeny, revealed that for the 2026 model year, the crossover will no longer provide a frunk for free, even though many EVs offer extra space in the area that an internal combustion engine would traditionally sit. Most either make it a feature or provide some storage for a charging cable while not in use. Ford does the former, putting the Mach-E's frunk size up past competitors like the Kia EV6. No longer, though the company insists the decision to kill the frunk is to save buyers money. Read on and decide for yourself below.