Did Ford miss an opportunity by not making a Bronco pickup?

[mfergel]

Just a random thought I've had for awhile. Obviously, the Maverick has sold extremely well and probably even surpassed Fords expectations. I'm just curious as to what would have happened if they had chosen the same path as Jeep. What if they had created a truck version of the new Bronco? I love the look and design of the Bronco. This could have even opened up an opportunity for them (and others) to really open up the aftermarket items available. Imagine a Bronco based Maverick with the Heritage, Wildtrak or Raptor package. A truck you could take the doors off. An actual V6 option.

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[710-oil-614]

Nah and Gladiator is not selling well for Jeep.

 

[Scott Asheville]

Do a Google search and you'll find plenty of information (well, speculation) on a possible Bronco truck. Be sure to limit the search time period to the last year to be current. And take care to weed out the 99.9% of articles that are just clickbait.

Ford has hinted at a Bronco truck several times. The above poster is right that the Gladiator has been disappointing not only to Jeep but to buyers. My personal hope is that Ford offers both a 2 door and 4 door Bronco truck. I dream of a Bronco 2-door truck that keeps the 174" length and has an absolutely minimal bed. I don't necessarily dream of paying for it. Prices for Broncos are insane.

BTW, Google "Jeep J6" for a 2 door Jeep truck concept. They displayed it at a festival years ago and made a business decision not to build it.

 

[Ozarkbeard]

I think Ford missed an opportunity to sell even more Mavericks, by not having enough assembly line capacity to keep up with the original demand.

 

[SLINGSHOT]

Why would they build a vehicle that would be in direct competition with a vehicle that they already build?
Chevy and GMC already do that, and both brands are garbage.

 

[mfergel]

Do a Google search and you'll find plenty of information (well, speculation) on a possible Bronco truck. Be sure to limit the search time period to the last year to be current. And take care to weed out the 99.9% of articles that are just clickbait.

Ford has hinted at a Bronco truck several times. The above poster is right that the Gladiator has been disappointing not only to Jeep but to buyers. My personal hope is that Ford offers both a 2 door and 4 door Bronco truck. I dream of a Bronco 2-door truck that keeps the 174" length and has an absolutely minimal bed. I don't necessarily dream of paying for it. Prices for Broncos are insane.

BTW, Google "Jeep J6" for a 2 door Jeep truck concept. They displayed it at a festival years ago and made a business decision not to build it.

I had seen where Jeep was offering a deep discount on the Gladiator lately. I have two friends with them and have ridden in one. I was actually surprised at how well it actually rode. Wouldn't be my cup of tea in the long run as I wanted a less truck like truck (I've owned two S-10's and an early Ranger). I do get what one post said about creating a vehicle in direct competition with itself. That does make sense.

 

[rivermaverick]

How much of a Bronco Sport is interchangable with the Maverick? I visualize getting one of each and swapping parts until you have a Bronco pickup and a non-pickup Maverick .

 

[Maverickman74]

I was all for the Bronco before pricing and markups got me out of that dream and into a Maverick. Couldnt even buy a base 2dr for what I paid for my Tremor. I think that the real Bronco truck issue is that building it would make it super long like the Gladiator. It gives it odd proportions. What would be the best solution for the Bronco is to make it better for people to use for work. Some owners and aftermarket people have done this to some degree.

I think to appeal better to the truck crowd, they could introduce a 3rd body style. It would ride on the same wheelbase as the 4 door but the roll bars would be modified more forwards and the rear seat would be more like the 2 spot 2 door model and tuck up better when stowed. Then they could work on opening up the cargo area in the back. Its too small now but with 4-6" wider on each side and maybe 6-8" longer it could hold a much better selection of cargo. Also making it more washout freindly in the cargo area would be ideal. Basically think of the original Bronco and Jeeps. Fold the seat forward and the rear was very muck just a short truck bed. As it is now its more like a SUV trunk and not well suited to working daily with tools and materials.

 

[TwoTone]

How much of a Bronco Sport is interchangable with the Maverick? I visualize getting one of each and swapping parts until you have a Bronco pickup and a non-pickup Maverick .

Bronco Sport is as much a Bronco as the Mach E is a Mustang.

 

[Scott Asheville]

The word from Ford is that they're pretty much gonna make Bronco a brand inside the Ford family. They've strongly hinted at a Bronco full size truck (I wish they would do smaller) and more. I think Ford stupidly avoided a small truck when they discontinued the original Ranger last decade - and they lived to regret trying not to compete with themselves.

You disrupt yourself or somebody else will disrupt you. Kia happily disrupted the Soul with the Seltos and sales exploded. Jeep got complacent and got a huge Bronco-sized lump of coal in their Christmas stockings.

So Ford can keep innovating, or others will do it for them. Resting on the idea that the Maverick is the be-all, end-all in small trucks. Yea, good luck with that when a dozen other OEMs are now eying that market.

 

[ndmiller]

I personally think Ford has really been their own worst enemy with the Bronco, Mach-E, Lightning and Maverick with all the issues from Hype<>Production to Dealer excessive ADM to Regular Old Ford Lack of Communication.

While I still believe the Maverick will be great for its intended usage (entry level car for new driver to learn on) when it finally arrives, I have never and don't ever plan on buying another Ford. There is just nothing there to draw in customers, when they can't even deliver a very vary narrow product line on time without issues.

 

[Scott Asheville]

The Ford CEO agrees with you. He's said publicly that they're their own worst enemy. They design super appealing products and then can't build enough or they can't build them without incurring crippling warranty costs (average over $1,000 per vehicle sold). That's not me talking, that's Jim Farley talking.

Jim Farley is a cool car guy with street cred. I hope he can tame the disaster known as Ford, but I'm not optimistic. Huge bureaucracies more often tend to tame CEOs than the other way around.

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