Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Trends, SUVs
Dearborn's $10,000 question... will you buy the Ford Bronco?
At long last, Ford is reviving the Bronco. After teasing small truck lovers and brand devotees with the sublime 2004 NAIAS concept vehicle shown above, it would appear that the Blue Oval has relented, and is now set to revive the storied nameplate.
According to Edmund's Inside Line, the rough-and-tumble offering will be screwed together in Mexico using engineering from Mazda of Japan and Ford of Europe. The model will have a production twin under the skin as well, in the form of a sub-Focus five-door hatchback.
In news that will give hard-core offroaders reason for pause, the Bronco will be built on Ford's current Fiesta subcompact's mechanicals (a replacement chassis is already under development, but the Bronco will get today's greasy bits due to cost issues) in Ford's Cuautitlán factory, which presently builds the Latin-American market Ikon sedan (which is likewise Fiesta-based). For reference, the auto show star of 2004 was based on Ford's Fiesta-based EcoSport crossover.
The good news? Ford feels that it can bring it all to market for under $10,000 in an effort to burnish the Blue Oval with a little of Scion's swagger.
So... is Ford making a mistake by recasting the storied Bronco brand as a softroader, or will a discount price and retro-studded strutter bring in big dividends for Dearborn?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
MattB 8:07AM (2/23/2006)
NO. Ford can go ahead and make an xB competitor, but don't go naming it the Bronco. You wouldn't name a Miata competitor the "Mustang," now would you?
Bring back the Bronco, fine. But don't screw up a great name by changing the car. That's the exact problem that the Fairlane has.
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Gardiner Westbound 8:09AM (2/23/2006)
Great looking rugged body on tinker toy underpinnings assembled with legendary Mexican quality, I don't think so.
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Nick Haug 8:09AM (2/23/2006)
I'll have mine in Black with anthracite alloys please..
PerformanceGT.COM
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SteveS 8:16AM (2/23/2006)
You gotta give Ford some credit for coming up with something creative at the low end of the market. I am not a fan of retro, but the new Bronco is good looking and distinctive. It should find a niche, though they might want to reconsider the name. Using the name Bronco will alienate traditionalists. It may also confuse non-SUV shoppers, who may not have the most fond memories of Ford's old SUV...
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JB 8:19AM (2/23/2006)
I'll keep my Element, thank you very much, even if it is 10K more. Please, the Bronc on the Feista chassis? Can you say crack my frame on anything other than smooth pavement. At least give it some off-road capabilities. If Ford want to complete with the Scion, this is not the way to go. Bring it out @ $15-18K and give it the ability to do a little work.
And no, I'm not anti-Ford, even if my email sounds like it.
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NLN987S 8:21AM (2/23/2006)
Under 10K? Yeah it will be cheap but you get what you pay for. I'm sure they will be using more cheap and poor quality interior materials. Then buyers will complain..
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superjenks 8:28AM (2/23/2006)
Fiesta has fans and Bronco has fans, the problem is they don't like each other! Ford don't do it until your ready to deliver on what a Bronco fan wants... MUD.
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Mike Homeniuk 8:29AM (2/23/2006)
Bring back the Bronco, but design it to compete with the FJ Cruiser etc.....not Scion.
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DuckFat 8:30AM (2/23/2006)
As pictured the tires/wheels alone will cost over $1000. I can imagine how cheap the engine and interior bits will have to be to hit $10,000. There's no way it could have all wheel drive at that price.
Take that look and make a true off-road Jeep competitor and then it would be worthy of the Bronco name.
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Jay Miller 8:46AM (2/23/2006)
This clearly shows that US autmakers can't manage brands or nameplates. Bronco clearly has a reputation to uphold, and making a soft-roader Bronco doesn't do it.
I say cut your brands and models to something manageable. If you bring back a storied nameplate then it should live up to the expectations of the name.
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friko 8:46AM (2/23/2006)
# 2:
That sounds like legendary ignorance. You couldn't distinguish a car made in Mexico beside one made in the US.
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Matt Keegan 8:49AM (2/23/2006)
Comparing the Mustang to the Bronco makes no sense. The Bronco name doesn't resonate with Ford fans as does the Mustang.
I like the Dodge Hornet and the DCX's desire to build the vehicle in Mexico, like the Bronco:
http://thearticlewriter.com/autowriter/dodge-ford-to-build-scion-fighters/
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egs 8:54AM (2/23/2006)
build it and shut up already.
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Dr. Woo 8:55AM (2/23/2006)
Just because labor is cheaper in Mexico doesn't mean that quality control is any different.
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Nick Haug 8:57AM (2/23/2006)
Really Dr Woo???
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Puff Chippy 9:07AM (2/23/2006)
This is a no-brainer to build but I'd think twice about using the Bronco name. Nobody really takes these things off-road anyway so who cares what's underneath, but the Bronco name is too valuable to put on a Scion xCrap competitor. This would sell huge even at $15k.
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JayNorth 9:11AM (2/23/2006)
Anybody remember the Ford SYN concept? This looks to be a closer-to-production-calling-it-bronco version.
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BeetleGo 9:12AM (2/23/2006)
Hmmm, a 'Bronco' on a platform THAT small? The riDE QUality wILL prOBAbly bE THe onLY Thing tHAt liVES up tO THe name....
Why not just call it the Jolt?
~BeetleGo
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Wintrode 9:14AM (2/23/2006)
The Bronco name doesn't belong on this truck. I agree that they should build it. Hell for under 10k if it looks like the above concept and isn't a complete dog on the road, I would drive one. Just don't call it a Bronco, unless you mean Bronco II....actually that would be quite apropriate.
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goat 9:15AM (2/23/2006)
No way.
If they want to bring back the Bronco, they should make it a serious off-roader, to compete with the Jeep Wrangler.
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