UAW Plant Chairman Confirms Ford Ranger, Bronco Revival in Trump Comments

Will they, or won’t they? That’s the question nagging the minds of Ford Ranger and Bronco fans as they patiently await an official announcement from the automaker on the models’ return.

The Blue Oval will only confirm that two new products will take the place of the soon-to-depart Focus and C-Max at the Michigan Assembly Plant. However, in response to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s recent comments about Ford, the plant’s UAW chairman identified those products to the Detroit Free Press.

As plant chairman for UAW Local 900, Bill Johnson represents workers at the Wayne, Michigan facility. He took exception to Trump’s recent claim that Ford was moving jobs south of the border to Mexico. Indeed, the automaker’s small car production is headed south — it’s the destination of choice for many automakers looking to free up domestic plants for higher-profit vehicles.

Still, Johnson argued, those Michigan jobs won’t disappear.

“We hate to see the products go to Mexico, but with the Ranger and the Bronco coming to Michigan Assembly that absolutely secures the future for our people a lot more than the Focus does,” Johnson told Freep.

Aha. Ford remains tight-lipped on future products, but we give thanks to those who blab.

The Focus and C-Max head to Mexico by 2018, at which point a pickup and SUV based on it will appear, likely as 2019 models. Ford promised the new product during last year’s UAW negotiations.

After vacating the North American market for years, the Ranger nameplate will return on a midsize pickup built on global architecture. That market segment has recently grown too hot for Ford to ignore.

While there’s no mystery as to the dimensions and layout of the Ranger, much speculation surrounds the Bronco. Will it be offered in a two-door? Can we expect a removable top? When O.J. gets out, will he return to the brand? Bronco fans, including TTAC’s managing editor, need to know.