Ford to halt orders for hybrid pickup Maverick

(Reuters) – Ford Motor Co said on Monday it would halt retail orders for the Maverick, an affordable pickup that the automaker rolled out last year, as it did not have the capacity to meet overwhelming demand.

The company will stop taking new orders after Jan. 27 to focus on existing bookings, although customers may still be able to purchase a Maverick at their local Ford dealer.

The company will resume taking orders for the 2023 Maverick in the summer, it said in an emailed statement.

The Maverick compact pickup truck was launched in June with a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain as standard equipment, a technology choice aimed at keeping the vehicle’s starting price below $20,000.

The worldwide shortage of computer chips has left car manufacturers unable to complete assembly of some new vehicles, prompting several companies to idle production.

(Reporting by Kannaki Deka in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel and Aditya Soni)