Dealers: This Spring's All About Bronco

Dealers privy to Ford’s launch plans claim the coming of spring will bring about the reveal of two Bronco-badged vehicles. One of those public debuts is the moment Blue Oval aficionados have waited decades for.

According to dealers who spoke to Automotive News in the wake of last weekend’s NADA Show in Las Vegas, Ford plans to reveal the Bronco and lookalike unibody Bronco Sport in March and April, respectively, assigning the two nameplates a considerable amount of projected volume.

With a new generation of F-150 expected to land later this year, the first half of the calendar will be taken up with retro off-road goodness. Ford execs who spoke at a meeting held alongside the National Automobile Dealers Association meetup say they expect Bronco and Bronco Sport sales to hit 200,000 units or more in 2021, dealers claim.

The latter model, though it debuts last (probably at the New York auto show), will be the first on the market, going on sale later this year. True Bronco diehards, on the other hand, will have to wait until the beginning of next year to get their hands on the reborn utility vehicle.

Sporting two or four removable doors, a roof similarly capable of disappearing, and considerable off-road chops, the Bronco serves as a muse for a second vehicle that shares little DNA with its bigger brother. Bronco Sport is what happens when Ford executives decide that one compact crossover is not enough. As such, the Bronco Sport will slot next to its Escape platform mate in the Ford lineup, drawing in a more rugged (or wannabe rugged) clientele who might not be enamored with the Escape’s Focus-on-steroids appearance.

Another Ford dealer meeting revealed the “baby Bronco” last year.

The automaker’s projected sales for the two models would see the nameplates add as much volume as the Explorer or Escape, bolstering the company’s bottom line and off-road cred. Until now, Fiat Chrysler’s Jeep division held sway over the domestic off-road SUV scene.

According to dealers, Ford has a massive raft of Bronco accessories ready to go, further boosting the model’s money-making potential. The model itself won’t be allocated to select dealers, either. Participants at the Vegas meeting were told that all dealers will get to share in the Bronco-y goodness.

[Images: Ford]