Gojirra99

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.

The neo-Bronco and a companion five-door hatchback are to be aimed, like the Dodge Hornet, at Gen-Y buyers who have been drawn to the Scion xA and xB and are expected to be the primary audience for such recent and upcoming entries as the Honda Fit, the Nissan Versa and the Toyota Yaris.

Like DaimlerChrysler, Dearborn searched around the globe for the right combination of platform and production sourcing, rejecting one proposal to import a small Fiesta-based utility vehicle called "EcoSport" from its Brazilian subsidiary.

Ford's Japanese affiliate Mazda already is doing the engineering development work on the next-generation Fiesta for Europe, Asia and Latin America, but the new B-segment platform was deemed too expensive for the '09 baby Bronco, which Ford hopes to price from under $10,000.

So two strategic decisions have been taken — one, to base the Bronco on the current Fiesta to keep costs down and, two, to assemble the car at Ford of Mexico's Cuautitlán plant, which currently makes the Fiesta-based Ikon sedan for Latin American markets. Originally, the Bronco was to have gone into production in fall 2007, but the program recently was delayed by a year and a second model added.

So... is Ford making a mistake by recasting the storied Bronco brand as a softroader, or does a discount price and retro-studded strutter bring in big dividends for Dearborn?



source : autoblog.com, Edmunds

Leets

There was a time when Broncos and Landcruisers were arguably the offroading kings.


Toyota has brought back the FJ as a, once again, off-road capable TRUCK.

Ford's response?

"Let's bring back the Bronco, except instead of making it like a traditional, off-roading legend bronco... LET'S TARGET SMALL CAR BUYERS."

I just really don't know where to begin with this one. Just, wow... it's a wonder American auto manufacturers have ever survived this long.

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

why? never liked it

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

I think Ford is appealing to a market that hardly exists, which is the economy pseudo-SUV market. Small SUVs like the Rav4 or CRV are already looked down upon by the SUV community, and I think Ford should focus on other markets that are more encompassing, such as what they did with the Ford Fusion in the family sedan market.

You can put a cheap pricetag on a car, and that doesn't mean it's going to sell. I don't think there is a market big enough that will race to Ford to purchase that monstrosity...

mmarshall

Jeeps, in both military and civilian form, were around literally decades before either of these two vehicles were even planned on a drawing board.

If Ford is going to bring back the Bronco, I hope they do it right and don't use a wimpy frame, chassis, or drivetrain. The last production Broncos in the early 1990's were two-door versions built off the full-sized F-150 platform, though of course without the long bed.

LexFather

Well, lets hope it sells

plex

iTrader: (11)

Hope it comes in white "OJ Edition" sitting on 22" and speedo goes up to 25mph

INHOCJP

Ah, the memories. I had a Bronco back in my college days. Had tranny problems, horrible gas mileage, and was a rattle trap, but I still loved the car...the ignorance of youth

The new Bronco looks ok in the pics...lets just hope Ford doesn't resurrect the Bronco II

TheRupp

...or the Mustang II for that matter

That looks like an H2 had a one night stand with that new Dodge we've seen pics of (memory isn't serving for name, but think Scion xB competitor... Raptor?) and that's what came out.

LexLaw

Do we really need this??

XeroK00L

It's gonna be a horrible off-roader due to its car chassis.
It's gonna be a horrible econobox due to its huge wheels ruining the fuel economy.

But it does look hip and cool and it'll be cheap, thus it should sell well to the poser market.

DASHOCKER

iTrader: (2)

Unique styling. I know Ford had a pickup concept in bright yellow that looked like a Tonka truck at the NY International Autoshow. I see some design elements from that concept in this truck. Very unique I'll take the "OJ" edition myself