BOSSCAP – the firm responsible for the Brisbane-based right-hand drive conversions of the Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup for Australia – has entered receivership, leaving owners without a way to currently carry out warranty work.
The firm undertook the left- to right-hand drive conversions of the F-150 Lightning under the AUSEV name, becoming the only Australian seller of the EV at a time when its petrol-powered sibling was launching, sold in Ford dealerships after being officially converted by RMA Automotive.
When it launched, the trade-focused F-150 Lightning Pro was priced from $169,900 before on-road costs, while the more luxurious XLT variant started from $184,900 plus on-roads.
However in November last year, Ford announced it had ended production of the F-150 Lightning early in the US, citing low demand for the battery-powered pickup.
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This was followed by AUSEV curing the price of the Lightning Pro to just $109,990 plus on-road costs in January, in an attempt to move run-out stock.
In a post on LinkedIn, BOSSCAP said it had “invested heavily in engineering capability, compliance, and local manufacturing to support this rollout, working closely with fleet customers, financiers, and supply chain partners”.
“However, a sudden change in global production strategy from Ford materially impacted the availability of the underlying platform the business relied on. This [was a] decision which was outside BOSSCAP’s control.”
Ford plans to launch a second-generation F-150 Lightning as a range-extender – which will see a petrol engine fitted to charge the onboard high voltage battery, rather than help drive the wheels – however the demise of BOSSCAP means it’ll more likely be offered by Ford Australia itself, if at all.
BOSSCAP’s subsidiary SCD Remanufactured Vehicles was also previously responsible for private right-hand drive conversions of a number of American pickups not available to Australians, and sold them through the AUSMV (the precursor to AUSEV) network.
However, Ram has been selling its Walkinshaw-converted 1500, 2500 and 3500 in Australian showrooms for the best part of a decade, while the former Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) brand also doing the same for the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and 2500 Heavy Duty, plus the Toyota Tundra.
Ford’s partner RMA Automotive has converted the F-150 since 2023 and recently launched a facelifted model.
While the Australian Government’s Workforce Australia website lists BOSSCAP as the parent of SCD Remanufactured Vehicles, it appears a new brand – SCD Direct – has been formed and is operating outside of BOSSCAP, despite also being based in the suburb of Brendale.
On its website – which is still operational, unlike that of SCD Remanufactured Vehicles and AUSMV – SCD Direct lists the Ford F-150/Super Duty and Ram 1500/2500/3500 as pickups it’s converting, while also teasing the Ford Bronco is coming soon.
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