Ford Adds Third Crew at Michigan Assembly Plant to Meet Demand For Bronco And Ranger

[ColoradoBroncoFan]

3 crews… 7 days a week…

Great! Now just build my 2023 2024 Azure Gray Robins Egg Blue 2 door Heritage Edition!

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[Blackcat]

At $39k starting price, you bet they are. Highway robbery.

But you do get tinted windows, 'upgrade wheels', and a leather shift knob! No thanks, glad I got my Base when I did!

 

[Bullitt]

Also note that in the same story, Ford is throttling back Lightning production based on decreasing demand. Bottom line...increasing ICE vehicle production and decreasing electric vehicle production. All based on demand and profitability.

 

[CarmeloS]

No surprise with the lightning production, wonder if it'll be axed if this EV madness gets killed off in the future.

 

[Finbox]

In terms of actual usage, that's arguably what most people should be driving anyway. Soccer moms and gym guys driving around on pavement with front/rear lockers is kind of ridiculous.

Either way I hope Bronco is a long term success so we have lots of aftermarket support and new/used parts availability for a long time to come. Bronco and Wrangler are the only game in town for open top doors off fans these days, still shocked Ford actually delivered a vehicle like that.

I always love the above comments…. let people drive what they want. If it wasn’t for all those soccer moms and gym guys buying these products for the economies of scale, we would have nothing Cool to drive.
In terms of actual usage, people that drive pick up trucks are the biggest posers ever. 99.9% of them don’t have anything in the bed of their truck!. They are driving around and not picking anything up!.
Diesels pickup trucks are made to tow heavy loads, 99.9% of all diesel pickup trucks I see are not towing anything!

Don’t get me started about sports cars that have never been on a race track!

I have a friend that drives a minivan and he doesn’t even have kids. He’s single! what a poser! LOL

 

[mpeugeot]

That's the latest from the Ranger 6G site. I don't see what this high demand is with only 5k Bronco and 3k Rangers in the USOB.

I guess maybe they'll start cranking out dealer stock but I can't see the demand for the Ranger when they actually do deals on the F150 and the new Tacoma is now available.

You don't see high demand, until you compare it to the demand for the EVs. That is the real story, demand for Ford EVs has evaporated.

 

[RagnarKon]

No surprise with the lightning production, wonder if it'll be axed if this EV madness gets killed off in the future.

Nah, I doubt it'll get killed off.

I think they simply just overestimated how quickly demand would pick up regarding larger EVs. With the success of Tesla I think a lot of people assumed EV demand would pick up quickly industry wide, so everyone was rushing to spin up production.

But obviously a lot has happened over the past 2-3 year. Inflation, interest rates, BIG job losses in the technology industry (perhaps the industry with the folks that are most interested in EVs), etc. etc. Pretty clear the wider market is more interested in hybrids now that money is tight. They're cheaper (for now), and require much less up-front investment.

Which means we'll probably see a hybrid Bronco. They already got a hybrid Ranger in the works, Wrangler 4xe sells well, and it's clear Ford is investing in Ranger/Bronco production. So probably a matter of time at this point.

 

[timhood]

Nah, I doubt it'll get killed off.

I think they simply just overestimated how quickly demand would pick up regarding larger EVs. With the success of Tesla I think a lot of people assumed EV demand would pick up quickly industry wide, so everyone was rushing to spin up production.

But obviously a lot has happened over the past 2-3 year. Inflation, interest rates, BIG job losses in the technology industry (perhaps the industry with the folks that are most interested in EVs), etc. etc. Pretty clear the wider market is more interested in hybrids now that money is tight. They're cheaper (for now), and require much less up-front investment.

Which means we'll probably see a hybrid Bronco. They already got a hybrid Ranger in the works, Wrangler 4xe sells well, and it's clear Ford is investing in Ranger/Bronco production. So probably a matter of time at this point.

That is the more correct read. Ford said that Lightning sales were up 55% last year and were expected to grow this year. What they are doing is cutting back what they had originally planned to make, which was more units, to a lower amount, which is still more units.

Demand for vehicles of all types still exists. What is quashing demand are these high interest rates that we haven't seen in more than 15 years. The psychological (and financial) impact of going from interest rates as low as 2% to now at least 5% is substantial.

Sidebar: A hybrid Bronco would be awesome. Fuel economy is probably the Bronco's biggest Achille's heel. Adding 10mpg (or more? ) would be massive.

 

[SeptuagenarianSasquatch]

You don't see high demand, until you compare it to the demand for the EVs. That is the real story, demand for Ford EVs has evaporated.

Right you are. And considering the recent spate of tragi-comic news stories about EVs frozen dead in this of global...um...global...whatever it's called now, I think the manufacturers are facing some cold-fact realities.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/19/business/ford-trimming-ev-pickup-production/index.html

 

[mcinfantry]

Plus rates were through the roof, but I suspect Ford fiancé deals will be hitting coming Feb for ranger sales.

Everyone on here pays CASH, and builds the base to a Wildtrack for less money and
‘Rides better than stock’
#mabett
#roughcountry
#amazon

 

[mpeugeot]

Sidebar: A hybrid Bronco would be awesome. Fuel economy is probably the Bronco's biggest Achille's heel. Adding 10mpg (or more? ) would be massive.

More than that, a PowerBoost Bronco with the ability to provide a 220v 30 Amp trailer plug for the overlander would be awesome.

 

[JaxGtc]

No surprise with the lightning production, wonder if it'll be axed if this EV madness gets killed off in the future.

Toyota slow played the EV game and they look like Genius' at this point. Tons of new vehicles and they are selling. The move to electric was always incremental and they own the hybrid world.

 

[Ft. Worth Rob]

So you have to be engaged to Ford to get a good deal?

Yeah, and then once you and Ford get married, they don’t want to service you.

 

[Bronccraig]

They gonna pump out a bunch of 2.3L Big Bends (aka, the new base) for dealer stock and make $$$$$.

I resemble this remark..2 DR BB MT 7/2020 resv..lol

 

[Surfnbike]

You guys are living a decade behind. Ford EV sales have slowed because:

1) Interest rates
2) Ford can't make EVs profitably because they are using 20th century manufacturing methods, so they had to raise prices substantially to the point where demand falls off a cliff.
3) Tesla is undercutting them after firing the first shot in the EV price war in January of '23, repeatedly lowering prices while raising production volume because they are using superior/cheaper manufacturing methods. Although their margins have been squeezed they are still positive and at 10X volume of 2nd and 3rd place.

The end result is that Ford loses EV market share. Once the EV transition is complete Ford and the UAW will be without a chair and either will be bailed out by the taxpayers or acquired by a Chinese conglomerate.

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