Ranger and Bronco coming back to the US?

CraigB

CraigB

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...gh-returning-bronco-ranger-production-to-u-s-

Ford Motor Co. is considering a revival of the Bronco sport utility vehicle and Ranger small pickup in the U.S., where truck demand is booming, said a person familiar with company?s plans.

The two models would be built at a Wayne, Michigan, factory that now makes small cars, said the person, who asked not to be identified discussing product plans. The move would help Ford preserve some U.S. union jobs amid contract talks. The company may assemble the Focus and C-Max in Mexico, a person familiar with the matter had said.

The return of the Ranger and Bronco, which drew unwelcome renown as O.J. Simpson?s getaway car two decades ago, gives Ford key models to compete with offerings by Toyota Motor Corp. and General Motors Co. The Bronco would also bring back an iconic name that has struck a chord with young buyers despite being out of production for almost 20 years.

?It?s a good move,? John Wolkonowicz, a Boston-based independent analyst, said of reviving the SUV. ?Gen Y has discovered the original Bronco. Ford has seen what the Mustang can do for them, and they are bringing back their iconic names.?

The Bronco debuted in 1966 as a rugged competitor to the Jeep CJ, now known as the Wrangler. It has become popular with millennials in southern California, said Wolkonowicz, a former product planner for Ford.
Mid-Sized SUV

The new Bronco will be a mid-sized SUV, like the Explorer, the person said. It will be built on a pickup frame, making it tougher than the Explorer, according to the person.

?The only way this makes sense is if it is more rugged and likely targeted at Jeep,? said Jeff Schuster, an analyst at consultant LMC Automotive in Southfield, Michigan.

Ford made its last Bronco in 1996 and ended Ranger production in 2011.

The Ranger may also find new buyers for the Dearborn, Michigan-based company, Wolkonowicz said. GM and Ford both killed off their smaller pickups in the past decade as gasoline prices hurt truck sales. Late last year, GM brought back the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon as mid-sized pickups. The automaker sold more than 66,000 of the two models this year through July, while also increasing deliveries of its Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra large pickups.

Ford ?never should have gotten rid of Ranger in the first place,? Wolkonowicz said. ?GM proved there is a buyer for them.?

Mid-sized pickups such as the Toyota Tacoma have been big business in the U.S. for a long time. Toyota sold about 155,000 Tacomas in 2014, while Nissan Motor Co. sold 74,000 of the Frontier. This year through July, deliveries totaled about 106,000 for the Tacoma and almost 39,000 for the Frontier.
Union Jobs

For Ford, bringing back the Bronco and Ranger would also secure jobs for the United Auto Workers union, which is in talks for a new contract to replace one that expires next month.

?We will move production of the next-generation Ford Focus and C-Max, which currently are built at Michigan Assembly Plant, beginning in 2018,? Kristina Adamski, a spokeswoman, said in an e-mailed statement. ?We actively are pursuing future vehicle alternatives to produce at Michigan Assembly and will discuss this issue with UAW leadership as part of the negotiations.?

She declined to comment on future products for the factory. Brian Rothenberg, a spokesman for the Detroit-based UAW, declined to comment on the negotiations.

The Detroit News reported earlier on the Ranger plans.
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I forget where I read it (ttac?), but I think there is a compelling case to be made for this Bronco replacing the current Explorer's market share. In short, the author argued that because the Taurus/Explorer/Flex platform is getting so dated, discontinuing those models is likely to happen very soon. While that won't be too bad for private consumers, it would be awful for police departments who just got used to the Taurus, and more importantly, the Explorer. This is an important market for Ford, and while the Explorer has done really well so far because it is large, it might not be the ideal vehicle for its role. It's a unibody crossover that shares far more with a wagon than an actual SUV. But if it's being discontinued, what will Police move to next?

This post suggested that Everest, brought to the US as a Bronco, would be an excellent replacement for the Explorer PI because it would be bigger, RWD/4WD, more flexible in terms of space, and more robust because of its body-on-frame construction. That last point was one of the most important aspects of the CVPI, and one of the reasons it lasted as long as it did. This new Bronco would be able to offer that, in addition to all-weather flexibility, and even a more economical diesel drivetrain.

The author went on to suggest that the Taurus interceptor might be replaced by a Ford-badged Continental. I'd be all for that, but is it really necessary? If you're gonna make a Ford version of the Continental, wouldn't you just call it the Interceptor and be done with it?

3-ford-interceptor-concept.jpg


But that's a topic for another day. What's most important is the Everest-Bronco. Here's a previous-gen model (IN WHITE!!) working for the UN in Jerusalem. If those assholes can drive them there with complete traffic law impunity, I bet American cops will take to them real quick.

1920px-UNTSO_vehicle_Ford_2012_1524v.jpg
 
I like the idea of a new Bronco.

bronco_concept.jpg


Just a question of how badly neutered they'll make it. As long as it's built on a truck frame, as the article hopes, it at least wouldn't end up another fwd crossover.
 
Please let the Ranger rumors be true, and that it won't look too different from the T5. I've wanted one since they announced it.
 
If the new bronco will be a direct competitor to the Wrangler, I'm sure Ford would sway buyers. Wrangler's are just boring at this point.
 
Hopefully a new Bronco would be a real competitor to the Wrangler. Or a capable midsize 4X4 like they were after '78. Anything more watered down than that should get an Explorer badge slapped on it.
 
Could the fusion platform (which will be the platform for the new Taurus replacement if I understand correctly) support an explore sized variant? The fusion is already a much more efficient package, being much lighter than the Taurus yet offering nearly as much interior space?that is of course, assuming that they aren't planning to completely kill off the Taurus line and just let the Ford fusion carry the torch from here on out?
 
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Soooo Ford realized they never should have cancelled the Ranger in the first place, and they're going to stick a "Bronco" badge on their Explorer.
 
A ranger sized Bronco wouldn't be so bad.
 
93Flareside said:
A ranger sized Bronco wouldn't be so bad.
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They've already been making one since 1983, right now it's called the Explorer. Or are you one of "those" people that thinks if you change the name of a car, that it magically becomes something completely different?
 
Cavi Mike said:
They've already been making one since 1983, right now it's called the Explorer. Or are you one of "those" people that thinks if you change the name of a car, that it magically becomes something completely different?
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The current Explorer isn't a truck. It's basically a Taurus wagon and has no real offroad capability whatsoever. The last truck-like Explorer went out of production Dec 2, 2010 and with it went any pretense of the Explorer badge being a replacement for a Bronco-type vehicle.

Ford NA currently has *no* Bronco II equivalents. The closest thing to anything like the Bronco is the Expedition.
 
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This is what you can realistically expect as the new bronco

Ford-Everest-Ranger-SUV-%2818%29.jpg


Meet the Ford Everest. Basically a Ranger SUV. They're actually not that bad. They'd probably fit the 2.0 and the 2.3 Ecoboost engine on US models though, replacing the 3.2 Diesel
 
Yes it is.

I have to say I'm not all that sold on the styling either, but if it means that suburban moms will like it enough to be a viable alternative in the uhmurkhun market I guess it had to be done

The last model had a much simpler, work-oriented styling

Ford_Everest_facelift_-001.jpg
 
I love the Everest, but I'm not sure if it can coexist with other Ford products here if they just bring it over as-is; when I looked it up, I believe it was within inches of the Explorer in external dimensions, so they'd eat each other.
 
PelicanHazard said:
I love the Everest, but I'm not sure if it can coexist with other Ford products here if they just bring it over as-is; when I looked it up, I believe it was within inches of the Explorer in external dimensions, so they'd eat each other.
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I compared a base Toyota Highlander with a base Toyota 4Runner:

24ocdcj.png


Highlander people may briefly consider a 4Runner, but most quickly change their mind due to the Highlander's more family friendly packaging, fuel economy (esp with the 2.7 I-4) and the price.

4Runner buyers, OTOH, probably wouldn't give a Highlander a passing glance. They probably consist of people who'd turn up their nose at the car-based Highlander and want a real truck, along with people who buy one out of inertia. They've always bought 4Runners so they'll buy another one...aka..the Camry effect. Of course, it wouldn't be surprising to see that these two demographics overlap significantly. :p Toyota manages to take full advantage too, charging more for a 4Runner than a Highlander. It's not like the platform likely isn't printing money by now either, being as old...erm "time-tested" as it is. The tooling for major components may be paid for too, depending on how deep the refreshes have been.

If the Bronco is a 2 door, 5 seat, blocky looking SUV, then there's even more differentiation from the Explorer. They probably would be cross-shopped in miniscule numbers.
 
rickhamilton620 said:
If the Bronco is a 2 door, 5 seat, blocky looking SUV, then there's even more differentiation from the Explorer. They probably would be cross-shopped in miniscule numbers.
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And even if it has five doors like it does in the markets it's sold in right now, the Highlander/4Runner point remains. They don't have a three door 4Runner anymore, but they still sell plenty.



And speaking of the 4Runner, I would be very happy if the window in the tailgate went down on the new Bronco.
 
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