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Ford announces Bronco will be a brand, not just an SUV

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#1 ·
Ford announces Bronco will be a brand, not just an SUV
The SUVs will be joined by off-road experiences, online forums and more
JAMES RISWICK
Jul 6th 2020
autoblog.com

We knew there would be a new Bronco. In fact, we knew it was even going to have a little brother. What we didn't know was that "Bronco" would be its own comprehensive sub-brand.

Obviously, it consists of the vehicles themselves, confirmed to be the 2021 Bronco two-door and four-door, plus the Bronco Sport compact crossover. You can get a taste of those in the teaser image above before they're officially revealed July 13 at 8 p.m. Eastern. However, they will exist on their own island within the Ford sea and satisfy a specific ethos of "Built Wild," a sort of mixture of Ford trucks' "Built Ford Tough" and Jeep's Trail Rated designation.

Unlike Ford's current crossovers and SUVs, the "Built Wild" Broncos will have undergone elevated torture tests in the lab, proving ground and real world; come standard with four-wheel drive and a terrain management system; and have the "confidence to go over any type of terrain." Each will also share a common design language separate from other Fords and offer more opportunities for personalization.

CONTINUE AT LINK ABOVE

Image courtesy of, and credited to, autoblog.com
 
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#2 · (Edited)
autoblog.com said:
Now, to clarify, they will officially be called the "Ford Bronco" and "Ford Bronco Sport," but there will be a Bronco emblem on the front rather than a Blue Oval. Think Mustang rather than Lincoln. Or, within the off-roader realm, a Land Rover Range Rover rather than a Jeep or Ram.
autoblog.com said:
In total, Ford seems to have borrowed a little from Jeep, a little from Land Rover and a little from itself to create something that's new, distinctive and reasonably authentic. Of course, we still need to see that actual Bronco trio to really know how successful it is, but at least we only have a week now to wait.
Seems like more confirmation of what we always suspected, but done in such a way as to make it their own experience and identity. Kudos to them for taking that risk.

Brand v. "Sub-Brand" designations aside, there are some obvious lessons to extrapolate from here in the larger (and long-term) handling of GMC/Denali, GMC/Hummer, the Corvette, etc. Having a "brand within a brand" is nothing new. But nurturing it to its full potential can mean the real difference between outright successes like "Prius" within Toyota or "Ranger Rover" within Land Rover --- versus "Geo" within Chevrolet, "Opel" within Buick [during the 1970s] or "Merkur" within Mercury [during the late 1980s], etc.

Let's hope someone at GM is watching and taking notes.
 
#5 ·
#7 · (Edited)
The combined reveal is great, launching an entire sub-brand gives them a chance to really clarify what it means to share the name on several classes of products. I noticed however that the Sport is getting a bunch of hate in that profile shot because it contrasts so notably against the Bronco Prime. They will sell a ton regardless, especially when they see it.

If all the Broncos are hits, it could popularize the traditional SUV form now that the Crossover SUV is the standard vehicle design.

Very telling is that Jim Farley even said that "Today's uninspired SUV landscape needs Bronco's ingenuity".



Hopefully we'll eventually see a full-size Bronco based on the F-150/Raptor, although there is no reason to believe they are working on any other models with the name right now. The Maverick pickup is probably going to stay "Maverick".

I do appreciate the broader view of Ford's lineup moving forward with mostly strong iconic brands on every vehicle, nothing anonymous or ephemeral. Bronco, Mustang, F-150, Explorer, SuperDuty, Transit, Ranger, Escape, Expedition. EcoSport and Edge are probably the only brands that could use some sprucing up or successors. Maverick pickup will be another big one since it ushers in a new category which should cement it pretty quickly.
 
#19 ·
Hopefully we'll eventually see a full-size Bronco based on the F-150/Raptor, although there is no reason to believe they are working on any other models with the name right now. The Maverick pickup is probably going to stay "Maverick".
Maybe there some chances then "Maverick" could also be named Courier. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Courier Unless the Maverick name could be use as a trim package like how Chevrolet once used Custon Deluxe, Cheyenne, Scottsdale, Silverado or Biscayne/BelAir/Impala/Caprice or Ford used once Custom/Fairlane (1955-61 as a full-size)/Galaxie/LTD.
 
#16 ·
Porsche says hello!

I disagree, if done right they could have maintained the front engine car as the traditional base Vette, added the ultra performance mide engine Vette at the top of the line and filled in with small and midsize performance crossover. There is a big pile of money to be made with a Corvette sub-brand and if not for their lazer focus on electric right now I'd say they're fools for not persuing it.

Edit: I meant to quote @lowrider
 
#22 ·
Porsche is a Brand, always has been just has more models, the 911, panamera, Cayan are models, in this casue it would be 911 as a sub brand with all the others under that. Corvette is a model not a brand, leave it be, if they want too Take the SS line, make that a brand put all performance oriented models under that.
 
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#61 ·
Denali is a "trim level" on existing vehicles, how is that even remotely the same?


I don't like when companies do this, such as when Ram split from Dodge, the only reason to do this is if your brand is tainted in some way.
OK, it's a good idea.
Except this isn't splitting anything off of Ford, these are all new-adds.


Ford already has the Troller Brand, would it not have made more sense to put Bronco under that brand?
Most do not know what that is, which means no intrinsic value.


There is the risk of running out of options after nolstagia wears off. This bronco thing might be the PT Cruiser HHR model all over again...
Those were each only one model, maybe better to compare what sucess would look like, not failure? See "Jeep".


Those two look great but I'll bet the big seller is the cheaper crossover model. Image with just a bit real off road utility.
That is also cheaper to make..................... Is that bad?
 
#37 ·
Ford is a brand with a good presence around the world. Why dilute that?
 
#43 ·
Ah, guys, don't you think 'Hummer' is going to be a brand as well? And unless I miss my guess, what's coming for Hummer will very likely make both Bronco and Jeep yesterday's news.

Wouldn't be at all surprised if Hummer was the inspiration for Ford to develop Bronco into it's own brand.
 
#70 ·
Hummer is EV only, in the current world, that is extremely limiting.


With Escape being similar prices to Cherokee, it's obvious that Bronco Sport will start $2k-$3k higher and closer to Wrangler.
I'm predicting some serious sticker shock with the Bronco Sport, You watch Ford go to work pricing the thing sky high and
counting on the name making it a winner at any cost. Mind you, I think Jeep does a good job of rape and pillage....
Can you say Cash on hoods soon?
Pricing and rebates being discussed, before we've even officially saw the vehicle.


IMO, the real casualty will be the Escape once buyers get to compare it to Bronco Sport.
Pricing and market is established for the new Escape, if the Bronco Sport comes in above that, and steals sales means higher revenue.

The Kewl-NEW "Trail-Blazer" is stealing sales from the Equinox.
 
#56 ·
The Love of the square Escape proves that. 2008-2012's had a Strong following, that were reluctant to move to the Tapered 2013-2019 Escape. Even more were lost with the 2020 Redo.

There is still something lurking in the Escape Line. The fact that Ford jammed 2 months of Orders into 1 week. Pre Covid that still happened after Covid Plant closures. We had 20 Orders Schedule in 1 week. We would usually have 2-4 a week.

Ford is going Big on this Bronco. Internet Order/Builds, are going to be open on the 13th. $100 deposit to Save your build slot, starting in December.
 
#64 · (Edited)
Troller is a subsidiary owned by Ford. The vehicle was never developed by Ford at all, but Troller does use the T6 frame. It's not a Ford product and certainly wouldn't be up to snuff for a Bronco.

Bronco Sport is more expensive and less economical, favoring style and utility over efficiency and road manners. A huge selling point for Escape is the nearly standard Hybrid which delivers incredible economy in a refined package. It's a shame Ford cancelled all the Bronco hybrids, but I suspect nobody is really asking for that and will let Escape fill that roll. Escape is also more car-like, filling the shoes of the sedan lineup very effectively both in economy, style, and performance. So there is very much room for Escape right now, especially as Fusion exits.

Ford cut a shift from the Escape/Corsair plant when the new model came online and moved the workers to the Expedition/Navigator plant while making the Escape more expensive to purchase (less incentives or good lease rates). They want to sell fewer of them because the segment is getting too commoditized and inexpensive. Enter Bronco Sport which will shift more C-Segment volume to people wiling to spend more for something with more features and personality.
 
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