Yahoo Autos Why Ford Is Making a New Two-Door Bronco
After years of waiting and months of teasing, the new Ford Bronco is almost here. We'll have to wait another week to see the new 4x4 in full, but in the meantime, Ford gave us some details on its intentions for the revived Bronco brand and on the trucks themselves. We spoke to Bronco marketing manager Mark Grueber and Dave Pericak, the head of Ford's "Icons" to learn more.
On a media conference call, Grueber revealed that he first pitched the idea to bring back the Bronco brand in 2015. "I think it's a fantastic time [to bring back the Bronco] right now," he said. "You've got the overall growth of SUV sales, 2019 being a record year. You've got pent up demand for classic Broncos—it was the hottest vehicle on Hagerty for five years in a row. And we just saw a lot of trends with customers wanting to get back out into nature."
Grueber also pointed out that not many automakers make hardcore old-school off-roaders like this, and that Ford had the brand equity to jump in. The new Bronco's obvious rival is the Jeep Wrangler, which has been a huge sales success in recent years, but otherwise, there's not much else out there. The Toyota 4Runner is more road-biased, and while the Mercedes G-Wagen offers similar attributes, it's far more expensive.
There will be three members of the Bronco family—a two-door, a four-door, and the crossover-based entry-level Bronco Sport. The two-door looks like it'll be the enthusiast's choice, even though it likely won't be the volume model.
"The Bronco's only ever been offered in a two-door from the factory, so it was just core to the DNA what a Bronco needs to offer," Gruber said. "I see it as the soul and the connection back to those prior generations of Bronco, it's kind of the capability leader in a lot of respects."
"We're bringing back an icon, and that icon was always known as a two-door," Pericak added. "I don't know how you bring it back without doing it in an honest way, which is to have a two-door."
Pericak said there's a lot of opportunity in offering a four-door Bronco—which is actually a first—but he "couldn't imagine" not offering the traditional two-door.
Throughout the call, and in the materials released this morning, Ford stressed that the Bronco is an authentic off-roader, and one that should live up to its heritage. "We're not just badge engineering," Pericak said. "It's not the name that makes the vehicle; it's the vehicle that makes the name." To that end, Pericak promised people will be surprised by the off-road capability of the Bronco Sport, which will come standard with four-wheel drive. Of course, the proper two- and four-door Broncos will be the real off-roaders of the family. Pericak says they'll be great for rock-crawling and high-speed desert running.
To foster a Bronco community, Ford will offer all two- and four-door Bronco customers and certain Bronco Sport customers a "Off-Roadeo" experience, to teach basic and advanced off-roading skills. We talked to Grueber about that more in-depth, and you can read about it later today. Ford will also start a fan site called Bronco Nation, which will operate independently from the company.
Last week, Ford announced that it will take $100 reservation deposits for the Bronco when the truck is unveiled. On the call, Ford provided a bit more detail about the system. When you pay your $100, you'll choose which of the three members of the Bronco family you want, and pick a trim level. Once it gets closer to production, you'll then spec out your Bronco more comprehensively.
The reveal for the Bronco is set for the 13th at 8 p.m. Eastern. We can't wait.
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