The 2023 Ford Bronco is available in nine trim levels, with five roof choices, and in 2- or 4-door editions. You can spend as little as about $35,000 or over $90,000 — with added options — on a Bronco.
It’s not enough choices.
At least, according to Ford, it’s not.
Speaking to reporters at the 2023 Bank of America Global Automotive Summit, Ford Vice President of Product Development, Operations, and Quality Jim Baumbick says, “Derivatives are an opportunity,” and “We have a ton more coming.”
The Bronco, Baumbick says, is many things to many buyers. “I can tell you with perfect certainty if you look at something like a Bronco Raptor customer versus a Heritage customer, they’re very different.”
For Ford, special editions and new trims are an easy choice because engineers have already developed the Bronco. Modifying it with new styling and new features is easier than developing a new vehicle, he says. “What that means is it’s speed to market. It’s lower cost.”
For buyers, it means more choices, but complexity won’t solve some buyer frustrations. Ford’s Bronco, Maverick small truck, F-150 Lightning electric pickup, and Mustang Mach-E electric SUV have all been back-ordered for most of their existence. Earlier this year, Ford was forced to tell some 2023 Bronco order-holders it couldn’t fill their orders and offered them discounts on other vehicles instead.
We received several emails from angry customers whose orders were canceled.
Baumbick’s speech at the summit was aimed at investors and industry insiders and thus unlikely to cover angry customers. But he did note that, with the Maverick, Ford is “rushing to add capacity” to build more trucks, and there “will probably end up being a shift in what we offer.”
