By Peter M. DeLorenzo
Detroit. The hype for the new Ford Bronco was either compelling or an exercise in overpromising, depending on what side of the fanboy fence you’re on. That it was a big deal around these parts – after all this is, next to Hollywood, the Ultimate Company Town – was duly noted, as the Detroit Free Press generated story after gushing story in the run-up to Monday night’s network-busting premier. It was beyond tedious, but then again, I’ve come to expect tedium from the Freep.
And then, once the hype landed, well... that was special, wasn’t it? You have to understand that the tendency to become blissfully enamored with the dulcet tones of your own thought balloons is a powerful elixir that lays low even the most hardened advertising and marketing types. And the Bronco reveal exuded that in every frame. Sometimes advertising creatives get it right – see the Doner ad for Detroit – and other times, they just wander off and get lost in the Desert of Flowery Words, which is hard by The Valley of Hubris.
Besides being a visual feast for the fans of country singer Kip Moore – with some nice scenery thrown in for good measure - the intro spot was buried with more words than I could stand, and I’m a writer. Here’s a clue: shut up and show the damn Bronco, for starters. Please. Beyond that, the visual themes were familiar to anyone who has seen a Jeep commercial in the last decade or more. In fact, if you put a Jeep in the spot – minus the wordiness – you wouldn’t know the difference.
But then again, beyond the obvious creative missteps and stumbles, to out-Jeep is the point of the new Bronco, isn’t it? Everything about the new Bronco is not only aimed at encroaching into Jeep territory but to hammer the perennial off-road star to smithereens. After all, Jeep hasn’t had any real competition since Hummer was put on the shelf years ago, so, it’s about time that another manufacturer grew a set and finally – finally – brought some serious heat to the time-honored and hugely profitable Jeep recipe for off-road goodness. And it appears that the True Believers at Ford did do their homework, because the Bronco and its myriad versions seem to have every possible contingency covered. Now, I am purposely not going to regurgitate all of the new Bronco’s ingredients, because it would take another couple thousand words and you will be reading about it ad nauseam from now until next spring.
And therein lies the rub, folks. The hype for this new Bronco is wildly premature. Why? Because you won’t be able to get one until next spring. Yes, you read that correctly – the spring of 2021. Now, I know we’re all getting used to the reality of events being put off until next year because of COVID-19, but why on earth would Ford unleash the hype machine in mid-July for a vehicle that won’t be at dealers for nine months? Why, indeed. Ford is insisting that one model of the Bronco will be out before the end of the year – at least that’s what they promised the assembled multitudes in the media for SUV of the year consideration – but I am not buying it for one second. And even if it does happen, it will be a handful of Bronco Sports slinking off the line on New Year’s Eve, just so that Ford operatives could say “mission accomplished.” But the much hotter Bronco 2-Door and Four-Door? Say hello to next May, which is giant bowl of Not Good.
Do I expect the Bronco to be good? It damn well better be. After all, it has been kicked around, fantasized about and the subject of much internal hand-wringing at Ford for seven years. Yes, you read that correctly too. Seven years. And the Bronco is easily three years too late, which is flat-out inexcusable. But then again, that’s Ford. They dither and they slither, the bureaucratic fiefdoms square off and battle each other and waste time, and the net-net is that the product in question always ends up being late to market.
And, being that this is the car business in the Motor City, do you think Jeep is just going to sit by and watch the Bronco bust its way through the market unimpeded? Oh, hell no. Check out the new Wrangler Rubicon 392 Concept in On The Table, which Jeep just happened to announce on the same day of the Bronco reveal. Some Ford operatives cried foul, but really? This is the Motor City, and cutthroat moves are part of "the biz" and if you don't know that by now you need to find another occupation. Expect to see this super Wrangler in production before the Bronco even thinks about hitting the market. And expect Jeep to unleash a flurry of new vehicles and packages to counteract the Bronco as the months roll by. Remember, Jeep has been honing its winning formula for years, so this is going to be a real battle.
But make no mistake, the initial frenzy for the Bronco will be strong, especially with a starting price of around $30,000 (although you can bet that to get one at intro, you’ll be spending easily $15,000 more). But for how long? Once the first-on-the block fanboys get one, then what? Will the momentum be sustainable? And the billion-dollar question hanging over every Ford intro? Can the Bronco be built without production hiccups, interruptions, or recalls? Ford’s track record in this area has been dismal, to put it charitably, and a super-hyped vehicle like the Bronco cannot afford any missteps of any kind, certainly not with the nanosecond attention spans of today’s fickle consumers.
And one more thing, Bronco is undoubtedly one of the great names in the automobile business, which makes the fact that Ford left it sitting on the shelf for two decades a complete travesty. I do wish Ford the best with it, however, I really do. And kudos to the True Believers at Ford for finally pulling it off. But Ford operatives will need absolutely everything to go right in order for the Bronco to succeed. And I mean everything.
As for the future buyers waiting to get their hands on one, don’t dust your spurs off just yet, pardners. It’s going to be a long wait.
And that’s the High-Octane Truth for this week.
(Ford images)
The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport.
The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport.
The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport.
The 2021 Ford Bronco Two-Door.
The 2021 Ford Bronco Two-Door.
The 2021 Ford Bronco Four-Door.
The 2021 Ford Bronco Four-Door.
The 2021 Ford Bronco Four-Door.
The 2021 Ford Bronco Two- and Four-Door.