Earlier this year, on the 11th of August to be precise, the Bronco celebrated its 50th anniversary. To commemorate the auspicious occasion, and to pay tribute to one of the brand’s most successful platforms, Ford––did absolutely nothing. I’m sure there was a cake cutting and a few attaboys circulated around the office, but there was no ceremony worthy of such a momentous day. The Bronco’s birthday did ignite more speculation about the vehicle’s return. Here’s why I think that’s never going to happen.
Like thousands of red-blooded Americans, I had a Bronco and have a fondness for all iterations of the truck. Mine was a 1991 Eddie Bauer edition painted in the livery made infamous by OJ Simpson. As one of the many vehicles I never should have sold, I often pine for another, sometimes getting suckered into the notion that a new Bronco will once again ply our streets and backroads. It’s been two full decades since the last Bronco rolled off the line. I should just mourn the loss and not hope for a reincarnation.
In 2004 Ford released a teasing image of a could-be Bronco and even built a full scale concept vehicle. With design elements borrowed from the first generation truck, it didn’t particularly resonate with everyone, but it was promising. Squared off at the jaw, it looked the part of a Bronco and had it been released then, probably would have done quite well.
That early concept spent the next decade making brief appearances on the interwebs, often around the first day of April. Fueling hopes only to dash them in equal measure, people started to lose interest in a new Bronco, at least that one. Before it ever went into production it needed a replacement.
Last year the cycle was revived with a new concept, this time drawing inspiration from the fifth generation Bronco last built in 1996. Detailed spec sheets, complete with a proposed model year, made the 2017 Bronco seem like a reality in the making. Built on the F-150 chassis with a multitude of engine options, it was just a matter of time before they’d hit dealers. But they won’t, and I think we all know it.
The age of the big SUV in its various forms is largely over. You could cite a number of catalysts for their demise, but the obvious reasons are related to fuel consumption and the simple downsizing of America, which isn’t a bad thing. Sales of big SUVs like the Sequoia, Suburban, and Ford’s own Expedition are at half or less of what they were just a dozen years ago. Ford’s best selling Explorer model, which once sold almost half a million units in one year (2000), dropped in sales to just 50,000 units before it was redesigned as a crossover.
There are other bellwethers that spell doom for the Bronco concept. Excluding the Jeep Wrangler and Toyota 4Runner, genuine off-road platforms are not thriving in today’s marketplace. The Nissan Xterra has stayed several executions and still has a questionable fate. Toyota wisely pulled the plug on the bloated Easter egg that was the FJ Cruiser. Hummer, the brand everyone loved to hate, has finally exited stage left, and Jeep is slowly transitioning their non-Wrangler models into more gentrified vehicles with a decidedly paved bias.
Another aspect of this discussion centers around the popular Ford Raptor and disappointingly unavailable Ford Ranger. In Ford’s eyes, the Raptor does well to fit the needs of the off-road segment, and who knows maybe it does. Why we don’t have the Ranger here is a frustration best reserved for its own dedicated rant. Suffice it to say, the Bronco just doesn’t fit any holes Ford likely needs to fill. They’re just happy to see Explorer sales back in the 200,000 per year range, and the country’s best selling vehicle for the last 30 years, the F-150, continues to drive the brand.
It’s depressing for those of us with a desire to see the phoenix rise from the ashes, but the Bronco, at least for now, is still dead. The market has changed, Ford has a new focus, literally and figuratively, and our brave new world just doesn’t have room for a big hunk of off-road awesomeness. It is sad, but the only thing we do know for sure is that we’ll have more details on the forthcoming Bronco delivered to us, as usual, on April 1st.
