NAIAS 2017: Ford Makes Me Giddy With Just Two Short Paragraphs, Confirms Bronco and Ranger
We knew it would happen, but now it’s official.
Ford, in two very short paragraphs bookended by more spilled corporate ink over mobility and futurethink, has given me a reason to save my nickels and dimes for 2020.
The Bronco, like the Terminator, will be back.
(Oh, and the Ranger is coming back too.)
According to a release from Ford, the Dearborn automaker will bring a brand-new Ranger to market in North America in 2019, followed by the Bronco in 2020. The SUV’s rebirth, while born in Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan, could be a global affair, depending on how you read Ford’s release:
Ranger and Bronco Return
“We’ve heard our customers loud and clear. They want a new generation of vehicles that are incredibly capable yet fun to drive,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s president of The Americas. “Ranger is for truck buyers who want an affordable, functional, rugged and maneuverable pickup that’s Built Ford Tough. Bronco will be a no-compromise midsize 4×4 utility for thrill seekers who want to venture way beyond the city.”
Beyond the statement above, we’re still no closer to knowing anything about the Bronco beyond its Ranger bones and its intention to take on the venerable Wrangler. Will it be two- and four-door? Will it look the same as a Ranger ahead of the A-pillar? Could Ford stick a diesel in it to give off-roaders some extra torque? It’s all up in the air — or not, if Ford decides not to make the new Bronco a convertible this time around.
All I can say is this: Ford, if build it right, my checkbook will be ready in 2020.
More by Mark Stevenson
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- Groza George The South is one of the few places in the U.S. where we still build cars. Unionizing Southern factories will speed up the move to Mexico.
- FreedMike I'd say that question is up to the southern auto workers. If I were in their shoes, I probably wouldn't if the wages/benefits were at at some kind of parity with unionized shops. But let's be clear here: the only thing keeping those wages/benefits at par IS the threat of unionization.
- 1995 SC So if they vote it down, the UAW gets to keep trying. Is there a means for a UAW factory to decide they no longer wish to be represented and vote the union out?
- Lorenzo The Longshoreman/philosopher Eri Hoffer postulated "Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and ends up as a racket." That pretty much describes the progression of the United Auto Workers since World War II, so if THEY are the union, the answer is 'no'.
- Redapple2 I think I ve been in 100 plants. ~ 20 in Mexico. ~10 Europe. Balance usa. About 1/2 nonunion. I supervised UAW skilled trades guys at GM Powertrain for 6 years. I know the answer.PS- you do know GM products - sales weighted - average about 40% USA-Canada Content.
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Will the new Bronco be closer to the chopped F-150 of OJ infamy, or the Jeep-like Bronco of the 60s?
Could this be the new Bronco? The Everest is based on the current Ranger. https://www.ford.com.au/suv/everest/