"PanchoVilleneuve ST" (PanchoVilleneuve)
01/10/2017 at 11:46 • Filed to: None
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"PanchoVilleneuve ST" (PanchoVilleneuve)
01/10/2017 at 11:46 • Filed to: None | 1
| 8 |
I’m wondering if anybody is going to buy the new Bronco. I’m leaning towards “after the first year or two, not really, no”. It’s one of those ultimate “everybody totally wants it you gotta build it” cars, the kind that the press and enthusiasts clamor for and then wind up not actually buying.
The Stinger GT has the right ingredients (looks great, rear-drive turbo 6, chassis set up by the guy who was in charge of the BMW M division back when that still meant something), and Kia just needs to be able to get that across in the marketing to be a hit.
The Bronco has to live up to the expectations that have been shoveled onto it by enthusiasts and the press, since even if Ford tries to deny it, that’s why they’re building the thing. It’s automotive fanservice, and no matter how good it winds up being, automotive fanservice eventually winds up disappointing.
It’s easier for a company with something to prove to sell the car they intend to use to prove it than it is for a company to sell the car that fans and the press demanded they make. Just ask Toyota, they’ve done both. They had something to prove with the original Lexus LS, and it was a huge success. They built the car we all said we wanted with the 86/FR-S/BRZ, and look how quickly our excitement turned to falling sales and “where’s the power lol?”
Still, though, it would be ideal if they were able to immediately start selling both with ~30,000 miles on the clock and a CPO warranty.
HammerheadFistpunch
> PanchoVilleneuve ST
01/10/2017 at 11:54 |
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Retro doesn’t work, The only cars that work with retro are cars with relatively fast product cycles were the retro gets styled out in a few years (Camaro, Mustang, etc), which wouldn’t happen to a bronco. I hope Ford is playing this smart and either intentionally building the bronco that everyone wants (big brash, crazy and all the nostalgia people want) but only in tiny numbers for a few years...or...build a more useful family vehicle with real off road potential (I.e. 4runner model)
Wobbles the Mind
> PanchoVilleneuve ST
01/10/2017 at 11:55 |
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The Bronco has nothing to worry about because the aftermarket is going to cover everything that could possibly be missing. It doesn’t need to go full Wrangler, as long as it can outpace a Grand Cherokee and have Raptor in its blood then these will sell 200,000 units annually and can stay on the same platform with no changes for over 10 years without any issues.
Bronco is guaranteed gold mine and so is the Wrangler Pickup. The Kia isn’t expected to even be available past 60,000 units globally, so the success of that car isn’t the actual sales but the response and the increase of sales for the other cars in the brand. Kia and Hyundai are competitors and Kia is very able to match Hyundai brand sales in the US and Europe if they speed up their pace and Hyundai keeps steady.
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PanchoVilleneuve ST
> HammerheadFistpunch
01/10/2017 at 11:56 |
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If they’re smart, it’ll just be an enclosed Ranger, marketed as the outdoorsy alternative to the Escape, with a beefed-up Bronco Raptor being the enthusiast model.
They won’t be smart. They’ll try to outdo ICON. It’ll be huge for the first year and then nobody will care.
arl
> PanchoVilleneuve ST
01/10/2017 at 11:56 |
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Yea, the whole BRZ thing to me is similar to the FJ Cruiser. They put these cool vehicles out and they sold great. At first. Then sales started to slip. Everywhere you went (forum-wise anyway,) people were telling (screaming in some instances,) what they wanted from these vehicles. More power for the BRZ. People want power. Power please Mr. Toyota and Mr. Subraru? Hello, anyone listening at corporate? People want the turbo dagnabit! Same the FJ. Where’s my sunroof? How about a few options there Toyota; say some heated seats, or a decent Nav system? Maybe a turbo diesel? Nothing but radio silence.
I’m afraid Ford might take the same approach. Release the retro Bronco which will sell like hotcakes for a year or two, then do nothing with the platform (never design it for power-plant upgrades, etc) and it will die within 5 years.
My glass is half empty today as you can see......
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HammerheadFistpunch
> PanchoVilleneuve ST
01/10/2017 at 12:01 |
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We’ll see, the enclosed ranger is called the everest and while Ford says it wont be that...I think it will be, or at least the new version of that one.
Manny05x
> PanchoVilleneuve ST
01/10/2017 at 12:42 |
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This sums up oppo and jalopnik.
ranwhenparked
> PanchoVilleneuve ST
01/10/2017 at 19:21 |
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By going with a modern looking 4-door body, Ford is hopefully going to come up with something more like the 4Runner than the FJ Cruiser. A niche vehicle to be sure, but one that can appeal to a broad enough group to stay viable after all the enthusiasts have theirs.
Sharing a platform and plant with the Ranger helps a lot too, it doesn’t have to sink or swim entirely on its own.
The Compromiser
> PanchoVilleneuve ST
01/10/2017 at 20:23 |
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If this was out when we looked at an suv, it would have been on the list. We looked at Fords, but nothing checked the box. The Flex was a bad position for both of us (and the SO didn’t like the styling) as far as sterling and seating. The Explorer was too small in the back (raising 3 giant men). My sister has an Edge and loves it.
I will be looking in the future and this may put Ford back on the block. We ended up with a Durango.