The Ford Maverick Is A Colossal Failure

But it’s not for all the reasons you might be thinking.

Back when the Ford Maverick first debuted, I got all kinds of hate for calling it the worst reveal of the year. My argument was the use of the “Maverick” nameplate wasn’t appropriate and that the little truck was a niche product, at best. What I immediately found out was Maverick owners and fans are some of the most hypersensitive people on the internet.

You should just buy the truck.

However, I stand by my objectively true statements that the Maverick is a wimp when it comes to towing and hauling, the two main reasons to buy any pickup truck. You can argue you want a Maverick to not do much of either and that’s fine, but it’s objectively true that I can get a used minivan and do pretty much anything the little unibody truck can.

But wait, the Maverick is turning out to be a failure in another way, one that to me just isn’t surprising in the least but that escaped its throngs of screaming, hypersensitive fans. As YouTube channel Car Questions Answered recently pointed out, Ford doesn’t really want to sell many Mavericks.

See, some people feel that Ford could just churn out more Mavericks than F-Series trucks and make a ton of money off volume. That sounds great but the reality is the profit margin on the tiny pickups is, well, tiny. As pointed out in the video I’ve included, the market adjustments on F-Series trucks equal more than the final sales price of most Mavericks.

Ford isn’t stupid. It’s in the business to make money, not stroke the ultra-sensitive egos of Maverick fanboys. Same goes for dealerships. As the guy in the video found out while touring several Ford dealerships in the area, he could get a Maverick but the wait time was 6-8 months. One dealer was charging several thousand more.

There were virtually no Mavericks on the lots, however there were plenty of F-Series trucks. And there were a few Rangers, too. One would argue that just shows how popular the Maverick is because dealers just can’t keep them in stock, but the fact is dealers don’t want them on their lots because they make next to nothing on them relative to other Ford trucks.

In other words, the Maverick is a donkey. While Ram seems to be gearing up to bring its small truck, the Rampage, to the US it just wouldn’t be surprising if it’s similarly difficult to get. Having a relatively affordable option to get people excited and at dealers can be a way to get people into a more expensive option. This is even with the Maverick costing far more than the ultra-affordable price point that was promoted. That’s just business.

On the other hand, Ford dealers are struggling with the same problem as pretty much everyone else: their inventory is growing as production is increasing but high interest rates and economic uncertainty keep shoppers away. The prices of so many F-150s are just ridiculous, but something will have to give and I don’t think it will be to send a deluge of Mavericks to dealers.

To say the Maverick is a colossal failure wouldn’t be too harsh. Nobody seems to want them, save a few smug guys on the internet. And all the continually slobbering articles released by other car sites as they get all worked up over all the supposed Maverick sales rush I think really just functions to keep their very cozy relationship with Ford jovial. A dealership employee says in the video they can’t order anymore after all the build slots sold out in just four days. That’s not a statement of the Maverick’s popularity but instead is evidence Ford wants to keep supply low because the truck just isn’t that profitable. This is why people have to wait until early next year to get one.

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