It looks like Ford is on its way to creating a separate Bronco brand much like it’s doing with the Mustang. A week from today Ford will finally, finally unveil the 2021 Bronco in three flavors. The first three are the Bronco two-door, four-door, and smaller Bronco Sport. But Ford won’t be stopping there. It announced today that there will be a pickup variant by 2024. So it’s official, Ford’s Bronco brand will expand with a pickup and also other models.

These sub-brands like Mustang and Bronco make perfect sense. Ford killed off its sedans across the board. So you have to find new products to replace the ones you’ve just killed. Otherwise, you need to up the volume for what’s left. With more brands to add volume the better it is. With the Mustang and Bronco, in spite of not having been around for years, as iconic as they are it is a good move. 

This is going to be a fight between Ford and Jeep

The other thing that is happening is that Jeep has found many variants of its iconic Jeep Wrangler. So why shouldn’t Ford do the same with the Bronco? Jeeps are hot, but it is expected that the Bronco will be as well. If you’re no longer a car manufacturer then you better start offering a cornucopia of trucks and SUVs. A Bronco pickup fits into that scenario. That is what we’re seeing unfold. So this is going to be a fight between Ford and Jeep.

“We’ll start with the three models that we have,” Mark Grueber, Ford’s U.S. consumer marketing manager, told Automotive News. “We will continue to look to where there are customers we could satisfy with Bronco and how to continue to expand the brand in the future.” Besides the Bronco pickup in 2024, it is getting ready to launch a unibody pickup called Maverick in 2021.

The popularity of Overlanding is creating even more demand for Broncos

The popularity of Overlanding is creating more demand for Jeeps. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the Overlanding activity is growing even faster. “There’s not a lot of vehicles playing in this space,” says Grueber. “We’ve got the equity and credibility. We just see it as an ideal time.”

But that’s not all. Totally unrelated, yet completely related is the announcement that Ford will be building four outdoor Off-Roadeo adventure parks. These will be closed areas that Bronco owners can experience different adventures and challenging terrain in the wild. So in a sense ,Ford is creating theme parks around the Bronco brand. This gives the brand a certain exclusivity and shared interest, almost like a cult.

You don’t need an off-road Bronco or 800 hp Mustang to pick up a six-pack

Ford is looking at unique ways to capitalize on the changes happening in the car world. We’re headed for a future where families will have commuter cars that are much like appliances. Then, they’ll have a fun car for racing, off-roading, or just cruising. It will separate the driving experience to fit the demands. You don’t need an off-road Jeep or 800 hp Mustang to pick up a six-pack at the Stop ‘N Go. 

It also allows Ford to sell two separate vehicles instead of one. And in the case of the Bronco, if you are restricted from going off-road in your area, Ford will provide a “playground” for you to get your ya-yas out.