<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Echoing\u00a0Mustang, the Bronco brand will be emotionally anchored in 1960s nostalgia when Ford introduced the first \u201csport utility vehicle\u201d as an off-road, Jeep-inspired lifestyle vehicle. The 1966 Bronco was introduced just a year after the Mustang set the performance world on fire with an affordable, drop-top muscle car.<\/p>\n
\u201cBronco gave rise to the fun and versatile off-road SUV in 1966, becoming the first enjoyable sport utility vehicle for those who wanted to live, work and play outdoors,\u201d said Jim Farley, Ford\u2019s chief operating officer. \u201cLike the original, the all-new Bronco family is engineered to take you to epic places, with capability to deliver confidence on any type of terrain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Like the original, the Bronco brand supports a race car\u00a0\u2014\u00a0the Bronco R\u00a0\u2014\u00a0for the grueling Baja 1000 off-road race. The Bronco\u00a0R made its debut last winter at\u00a0the famed Mexican endurance race. A Bronco won the Baja 1000 in 1969, the first time a production vehicle had ever won the race \u2014 a record that stands to this day.<\/p>\n
Ford\u2019s 1960s success runs deep through the brand. Its halo Ford GT supercar \u2014 in production since 2017 \u2014\u00a0builds on Ford\u2019s historic 1966 Le Mans 24-hour win. The Bronco was launched in 1966 and the Mustang in 1965.<\/p>\n
“The mid-1960s were very good years for Ford,” said IHS Markit principal\u00a0auto analyst Stephanie Brinley. “If you\u2019re a traditional\u00a0automaker, you have to evolve\u00a0your brands. Ford is talking about its past and future at the same time.”<\/p>\n
Though the Bronco name has been out of circulation for 25 years, it\u00a0still peppers popular culture. It\u2019s appeared in\u00a01,200 films, as John Paul\u00a0II\u2019s Popemobile in 1980, not to mention\u00a0the infamous\u00a01994 O.J. Simpson chase.<\/p>\n
Under the Built Wild\u00a0tagline, the Bronco brand will seek to build an off-road and virtual community for owners that includes outdoor adventure playgrounds and social media.<\/p>\n
Dubbed Off-Roadeo, the playgrounds will have four locations around the U.S. starting in 2021 and will be a place where owners can test their steeds \u2014\u00a0or get driving instruction\u00a0\u2014\u00a0on challenging terrain similar to public Michigan parks like The Mounds near\u00a0Flint or Jerome\u2019s Bundy Hill. No word yet on whether one of those locations will be in Michigan.<\/p>\n
When they\u2019re not at play, Bronco enthusiasts can tune into Bronco Nation (www.thebronconation.com), an independent online community. It\u2019s a forum for owners and enthusiasts to share off-asphalt\u00a0adventures as well as vintage Bronco vehicle information and event calendars. Ford promises Bronco brand apparel, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cBronco delivers on the common thread desired by enthusiasts \u2014 authenticity,\u201d said Ford marketing manager Mark Grueber. \u201cBuilding Bronco as Ford\u2019s distinct outdoor brand includes engagement that extends far beyond ownership.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to helping re-order Ford\u2019s lineup for an SUV and electric future, Bronco brand wants to capitalize on\u00a0the “overlanding” trend. Made popular by the Jeep Wrangler, overlanding is an outdoor lifestyle of traveling around the country to often remote locations.<\/p>\n
“There is a commonality in American culture going back decades that we want to go places, we want to explore,” said IHS Markit\u2019s Brinley. “The Bronco very much taps into\u00a0 that American psyche.”<\/p>\n
While more details of the Ranger pickup-based Bronco will be forthcoming July 13, we do know the two-and-four-door Broncos will come standard with 4×4 drive as well as removable body panels like the Wrangler.<\/p>\n
The Bronco Sport, to be unveiled the same day,\u00a0will seek to capitalize on this appeal as well, though it will be based on the same unibody architecture of Ford\u2019s popular\u00a0Escape crossover.<\/p>\n
With the introduction of\u00a0Bronco Sport, Ford will bifurcate the compact SUV segment. The sleek Escape will be aimed at urban commuters, while the Bronco Sport \u2014\u00a0complete with boxy design cues from the Bronco \u2014\u00a0will\u00a0appeal to a more niche\u00a0lifestyle owner.<\/p>\n
“As Ford\u2019s lineup changes, it\u2019s not enough to offer another SUV,” said Brinley. “You have to do something different if you want to keep your buyers. People want to feel special about their vehicles whether they are sedans or SUVs. Bronco hopes to make that emotional connection using a great history.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When Ford Motor Co. unveils the all-new, 2021 Ford Bronco on July 13, it will be more than a rugged SUV. It will be a brand. Like Ford\u2019s Mustang sub-brand which now includes an electric SUV in addition to a stable of two-door muscle cars, the four-wheel-drive Bronco brand will include a truck-based SUV in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25649"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25649"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25649\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25650,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25649\/revisions\/25650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}