UAW Chief Spills Beans on New Ford Ranger, Ford Bronco – Bad News for Toyota Products?
Tim Esterdahl | Oct 04, 2016 | Comments 4
Thanks to the ongoing Trump vs. Ford debates, a UAW official let it slip a new Ford Ranger and Bronco are indeed slated to be built at the Michigan Assembly Plant. This isn’t good news for the Toyota Tacoma and 4Runner since the market is starting to be flooded with competitors.
A popular rendering of what a possible Ford Bronco may look like.
New Ford Ranger/Bronco Confirmed
The Detroit Free Press decided to interview Ford employees who are Trump supporters to get an idea on just how torn they are. On the one hand, they like their choice for President and on the other, they are siding with a person who has publicly attacked the company. For the record, Ford’s CEO Mark Fields has become a lot more public lately and has traded barbs with Trump over his accusations. While, the political debate has been interesting to watch, it has also brought about a nugget of interesting news.
“I think Trump needs to get his facts straight,” Bill Johnson, plant chairman for UAW Local 900, which represents workers at the Wayne plant told the Detroit Free Press. “He is absolutely beating up on Ford for doing what everybody else has already done.”
“We hate to see the products go to Mexico, but with the Ranger and the Bronco coming to Michigan Assembly that absolutely secures the future for our people a lot more than the Focus does,” Johnson said.
Whoops. Pretty sure Johnson didn’t mean to let that news slip.
While I like the look a lot on the global Ford Ranger, I doubt we will see the same size here.
What Will They Be Like?
With the news out, the next logical question is what will each vehicle be like? For example, is O.J.’s 1990s big Ford Bronco with the V8 coming back? Is the Global Ford Ranger coming over exactly like it is? Probably not. Both models will likely be 2020 models and each will fit a specific niche for Ford. I wrote extensively about both here: 2020 Ford Ranger and 2020 Ford Bronco.
For the Bronco, the short version is it will likely be the same size as the 4Runner or Jeep Wrangler, be aluminum and be offered with an EcoBoost engine. It will be the off-road alternative to the Explorer and likely have a starting MSRp of about $35k.
For the Ranger, the global version is simply too large for the U.S. and while it will carry over some characteristics of that truck, it will be smaller and more inline with the midsize trucks on the market now. It will also be offered with a variety of EcoBoost engines, have a base model around $20k and could even be equipped with a small diesel in a crew cab XLT setup. My guess is it will be basically be a bit narrower and a little longer than the Bronco.
Direct Toyota Tacoma and 4Runner Competitors
A new Ford Bronco is likely going to have a large impact on 4Runner sales.
The bad news for Toyota is both of these models will represent true competitors to both the Tacoma and 4Runner. Many truck buyers still think of a Ranger when they talk midsize and I predict a Ranger would cause more market-share erosion than the Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon or Honda Ridgeline have done. Both of those trucks have simply either replaced an old outgoing model or have helped expand the midsize truck market. However, I think one more competitor, along with the Jeep Wrangler pickup coming soon, is going to dilute the market.
For the 4Runner, it has seen a sales surge lately since the competitors in off-road utility SUV segment have shrunk to just it and the Jeep Wrangler. Adding a new competitor, especially with the name credibility of the Bronco, is going to have interesting results. Will the market grow like it did when the Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon did in the midsize? Will the increased competition tighten up the small market? It could really go either way.
Now, typically competition is a good thing and more offerings means more money spent to stay competitive. However, Toyota has been spending lavishly to keep their cars competitive and one begins to wonder how much budget is left for trucks. On the other hand, Toyota is really still a car company and one begins to wonder if truck market share erodes quickly, how fast the conservative company can really respond?
What do you think? Will a new Ford Ranger/Ford Bronco hurt Toyota sales or help increase the market?
Filed Under: Auto News
Good for Ford at least they are proactive in trucks. I’m sure the present. Toyota CEO WANTS all cars in the US anyway and no trucks. As I thought for a long time now the Tundra and perhaps something else will just be a memory in the near future. People think I’m nuts when I say that but I believe Tundra production is coming to an end from and many other truck people believe it to. That should inspire a few comments.
Don – don’t think we could come up with any better conclusion based on the facts. No new Tundra testing being done, a DECADE OLD drivetrain, absolutely nothing from Swears besides lipstick on a pig. They’ve given up, and will soon throw in the towel completely
I like that lipstick on a pig, if you mind I will use that sometime. Look at it this way, any engineer who thinks taking a grab handle of a pickup truck (driver side) makes sense raises all sorts of questions at every level for me. I emailed Toyota CEO with no response. If we ever meet I will give him my response to his position of iqnoring me. I have had a business and I ignored no one when I was in trucking regardless of rank. What I thought once was a best of the best car and truck company is now a winner take all at any cost. If you run in NASCAR and sell here in the US Toyota should be madated to leave over seas and become a full blooded USA company. I am old school and make no apologies. Think about it.
Don, I agree with you. I think what it may come down to is competition. Both Ford and RAM right now are very competitive. Nissan is coming on strong too and GM is making huge strides in the mid-size truck market. How can Toyota can compete with it’s slow product change ways in such a competitive market? In my opinion, the Hilux will replace both the Tundra and Tacoma in the not-so-distant future. Assembling it at the San Antonio plant would make sense; with a capacity of about 200K trucks year and building one truck may allow Toyota to be more competive. Also, ditching the Tundra and replacing it with the Hilux will have modest impact on the CAFE standards.
I’d like to see an article on what the price of the Hilux would be if it were sold in the USA. With the steadily increasing truck prices over the past 6 years, it might be in line with current mid-size trucks.