More and more details about the highly anticipated Ford Bronco are surfacing almost every week since the company officially confirmed its production. And now that the Blue Oval has finally given the model a debut timeframe for next spring, the hype for the new SUV continues to grow. Ford’s market rivals, however, maintain they are not worried about the competition.
From what has been revealed so far, the reborn Ford Bronco will be built on the same body-on-frame platform that also underpins the Ranger mid-size pickup truck. It is expected to go up against the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, as well as the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 and the aging Toyota 4Runner. But these brands–Jeep, Chevrolet, and Toyota–all seem unfazed.
“We’re always in tune with the industry, with what’s going on with other OEMs, and what suppliers and customers are doing. But our focus is Wrangler and optimizing that… we’re not in a place where we’re reacting to others,” Kim Mathers, head of Mopar performance and accessories, said. “If we’re doing our job right, it doesn’t matter what the others do.”
Mopar accessories are a popular choice for components among Jeep customers, particularly Wrangler and Gladiator owners. An average of $1,000 spent by customers on Gladiator accessories helps put it, along with the Wrangler, in control of a significant portion of the off-road market. This could be why Jeep is not affected by the upcoming Bronco. But what about Chevrolet knowing that it doesn’t have an SUV variant of the Colorado or the Colorado ZR2?
“I guess when [the Bronco] gets here, we’ll evaluate what that means,” Silverado marketing manager Hugh Milne said.
GM was recently the subject of rumors claiming the automaker is working on a potential Bronco rival or a reborn GMC Jimmy. But even if it turns out to be true, the model is not likely to arrive before 2022.
Toyota, meanwhile, does not have an immediate response to the new Bronco, but the Japanese carmaker is reportedly developing a new global truck platform that will likely underpin the next-generation 4Runner, Tacoma, Tundra, and possibly Land Cruiser, too.
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