About 150,000 pre-orders have been placed for the born-again Ford Bronco in less than three weeks since order books opened on July 13, extending delivery times for new reservations out to about two years.
Ford confirmed the surprisingly high number of reservations, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in the US, during its Q2 financials announcement yesterday (July 30).
When the Blue Oval staged the global online reveal of the all-new 2021 Ford Bronco in mid-July, North American customers were able to place a Tesla-style refundable $US100 deposit ahead of first deliveries in the northern hemisphere Spring of 2021 (by June next year).
Less than two weeks later on July 25, Ford told
it had already received so many pre-orders that some new Bronco reservations may not be delivered until mid-2022.Although many deposit holders may back out, delivery times for new orders are now likely to take even longer.
Ford said previously that the limited-production First Edition Bronco models sold out within hours, forcing it to double production to 7000 units to meet demand.
Ford was expected to produce about 200,000 Broncos annually, but if it increases that to satisfy stronger demand the new Bronco could well outsell its arch-rival, the Jeep Wrangler, which found more than 225,000 US customers in both 2018 and 2019.
Note that these figures do not include the smaller Ford Bronco Sport, which was also revealed and available to order on July 13.
Like the new Ford F-150 pick-up and the battery-powered Ford Mustang Mach-E electric SUV, the Escape-based Bronco Sport mid-size SUV will enter production in the fourth quarter of this year.
Sadly, none of these models have been confirmed for right-hand drive production, despite the fact the new Ford Bronco is based on the same Australian-engineered T6 ladder platform as the Ford Ranger ute.
As we’ve reported, the first new Ford Bronco in three decades will be offered in traditional two-door and – for the first time – four-door body styles, priced from under $US30,000 in North America.