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Late last year we reported that thanks to the coronavirus and its impact on suppliers, Ford Bronco production would be delayed, saying “customers will receive a delivery window in May 2021. First customer deliveries will now begin in summer 2021 instead of spring 2021.”
A new report from a forum has given us a bit more in the way of specifics. A production start date of May 3 is the new target, with the factory beginning to formally recognize orders from dealers beginning on January 19th.
From there, it will take about six to eight weeks for Broncos to start hitting the road. That means that right around the Fourth of July, you could be experiencing open-air freedom on your way to the beach in a Bronco.
Covid could always cause further delays. So could other factors. But if nothing changes, the Bronco will finally be on the road this summer.
[Image: Ford]
I saw the 4WD Magazine YouTube video comparing the base Bronco the base Wrangler. They emphasized it would be fair and unbiased. The Jeep won more points in total, but they gave the win to Ford because for the hell of it.
:-/
Ford has 2021 F150’s sitting all over the place doing post production corrections. They can’t get a new vehicle launch right to save their lives. The Bronco won’t be any different. Good luck hitting that May 3rd date.
Well if Ford was like Tesla they’d announce the vehicle, take deposits, declare victory and five years later – crickets!
At least with Ford you know they’re actually going to build it in your life time!
“At least with Ford you know they’re actually going to build it in your life time!”
You must be very young
No, he’s right. It may not be built properly, but after a few recalls and dealer adjustments, it’ll be almost what you expected. Then it will be discontinued.
re: post-production corrections
My Niece and I were talking about that infamous parking lot of Vance-built Mercedes-Benzes that went nowhere for months and months– looks like MB were having the same trouble.
They were running cars without seats– shipping them to a holding lot– then taking them back once parts arrived.
What’s happened in vehicle manufacturing that this is so commonplace? Tesla build theirs in tents, Ford build theirs twice– so do Daimler. Where’s .that. story?
iNeon-
The point is that Ford does this with each new product launch. And Tesla-I’m not a fan but the (vehicle) tent building is because of their success.
Shutdowns affect suppliers, and there are parts shortages.
The auto “makers” make very few of the 10,000+ parts in a vehicle outside of the drivetrain and unibody, they’re basically assemblers, and they can’t assemble complete cars without many components made by suppliers who were shut down like the rest of us.
“Just in time” manufacturing has eliminated parts inventory, so when the suppliers shut down, the assembly lines shut down. J-I-T is very efficient – when everything is running smoothly. It doesn’t handle shutdowns, bottlenecks, or other delays very well.
The latest round of covid-19 shutdowns are affecting all automakers, it’s just that Ford makes it’s own mistakes on top of the problems others experience. It shouldn’t be hard to see that.
“ Ford has 2021 F150’s sitting all over the place doing post production corrections. They can’t get a new vehicle launch right to save their lives. The Bronco won’t be any different. Good luck hitting that May 3rd date.”
Ford wants to blame covid for something they’ve been planning for the better part of a decade. This poor copy of the Wrangler is delayed because Fords quality sucks. They are trying to fix things but they are blaming COVID because it’s convenient.
For once I agree with you. When they announced these things back in the Spring before Covid-19 got rolling, they were talking of 2021 delivery a year in the future. Anyone with a hundred bucks and a dream could pre-order. But remember, The Mighty Jim Farley is now on the case, so problems over. Cough, cough.
Since this car has been in my auto news feeds practically daily for the last year, I kind of assumed it was already on sale.
Yawn….Can manufacturers kept their mouths shut until a car is ready to be sold?
I’m rooting for ya Ford. It’s getting harder with all the junky vehicles you’ve rushed to market. Then again it’s kinda hard to make a junkier vehicle than a Jeep…so go for it! Fix those problems later. Nobody cares about recalls any more anyways.
By the time this overhyped turd hits the market it’s going to feel as old as dirt. Even the “all new for 2019” Ranger that came out in 2012 all over the world felt newer than this poor imitation of a Wrangler.
Sandbox butthurtedness aside, it’s already lit a fire under Jeep. The Wrangler has gone uncontested for too long.
Remember when the Mustang GT was the standalone pony/muscle? Not counting Cobra/GT500s late ’90s to ’10?
It sucked Big Time. This can only improve the segment. Already has.
@DenverMike – I agree 100%.
Jeep has had the offroad market to themselves. Anyone into Jeeps know they are quirky and unreliable. No one built a viable contender so Jeep had zero reason to improve.
Since the Bronco has been slated for production we see a V8 Jeep and it looks like 35’s and 37’s as a factory option. Jeep is worried. That is great for the consumer.
“By the time this overhyped turd hits the market it’s going to feel as old as dirt. Even the “all new for 2019” Ranger that came out in 2012 all over the world felt newer than this poor imitation of a Wrangler.”
LOL, ya because the Wrangler is such an engineering marvel. So cutting edge!
Good grief, with one arm tied behind their back either Ford or GM could engineer and manufacture something a lot better than a Wrangler. You ever or drove or ridden in one of those road disasters? I have, utter garbage. Ford’s gonna school Jeep with the new Bronco. If GM was smart they would be working on a K5 Blazer to compete with the Wrangler. And let’s call a spade a spade here, wouldn’t take much effort on GM’s part to build something substantially better.
@Carlson Fan – true. @EBcluck mustn’t know any Jeep Wrangler owners.
@Carlson Fan,
“with one arm tied behind their back either Ford or GM could engineer and manufacture something a lot better than a Wrangler”
For purposes of discussion, let’s say this is 100% accurate – why haven’t they done it up to now? (Serious question.)
@ToolGuy – I believe that manufacturers thought that specialized markets were too much of a niche to challenge. Each segment had only one entry; Wrangler: SUV; Raptor: 1/2 ton;PowerWagon:HD;ZR2: small truck.
Bronco will challenge the SUV segment and the Tremor will challenge the HD segment. The TRX will challenge in the 1/2 segment. I’d love to see a Raptor Ranger challenge the ZR2.
It’s a marketing dept. They all do that (if they’re earning their pay). When they cause Wrangler buyers, ready to pull the trigger to hesitate, and it could be potential Tacoma or other buyers…
So what if they’re not swayed enough to buy the Bronco after giving it a good look or drive? What was lost?
Most of the auto buying public are barely paying attention (to anything) and mostly already made up their minds. Their marketing pitch is background noise at best.
May 3 – are they serious? As we all know, May 3 1944 was the end of Meat Rationing. Choosing May 3 as Bronco SOP is incredibly insensitive to vegans.
It’s worse than that. On May 3, 1654, the bridge over Ox Pasture Brook at Rowley, MA began charging tolls for animals – PETA is enraged!
I find the talk of “Meat Rationing” and releasing a Bronco somewhat ironic!
Well, when the IRS ships the stimulus check to the wrong account, you find your animal protein where you can…
Not avaialble to mid 2021? That is funny. There is a brand new white 2021 Bronco in Newport Beach, CA with temp plates on it, so it must be in the hands of a private owner. It is white. What is the story here?
That’s probably a Bronco Sport which is a completely different vehicle. Most dealers got their first ones last month.
Bingo. The Bronco Sport is in production now.
I am routing for Ford but with their recent quality issues along with GM and FCA I would not buy any of them. Probably buy a Toyota or Honda next time.
Bad news, Jeff. Toyota and Honda have similar quality issues. They just have a past reputation to fall back on – and better public relations departments.
@Lorenzo all the manufacturers have quality issues but if you plan on keeping a vehicle for over 5 years then Toyota and Honda are the best choices. I have for the most part had GMs and Fords and still have 1 GM and 1 Ford along with a 2013 Honda CRV which has had trouble free service for the past 7 years. Since I keep my vehicles at least 10 years with one over 20 years I would rather pay a little more for a product that is not going to fall apart in a few years. Water pumps inside engines with timing chains or timing belts and air conditioning evaporator cores inside dashboards are not things I want in a vehicle. So far Toyota, Honda, and Mazda have not done those things but it is possible they eventually will. I value my money and a vehicle is too expensive an item to be as disposable as a disposable razor. 30k and above for new vehicles I am going to be more picky than I will if I bought a used vehicle for much less. Much rather save my money for retirement than buy or lease a new vehicle every few years and yes I realize manufacturers I not interested in my business because I don’t buy or lease a new vehicle every few years but then its my money and I have a right to spend it on what I want. The only way a manufacturer will improve is if buyers stop buying a poorly made product. Ford in recent years has been taking too many shortcuts on quality.