mmarshall

Back then, with the possible exception of the Range-Rover and Jeep Wagoneer, nobody cared about SUV interiors....they were looked upon as simply extensions of the old WWII Jeep. Today, those who are buying the Jeep Wrangler (and, by inference, the Bronco) are probably more or less of the same mindset.

tex2670

Then why did you compare the interior of the original Bronco?

mmarshall

Sorry if that was unclear. It was at least partly to illustrate that what is considered plain and featureless today would have been quite advanced to back then....particularly for SUVs. And, conversely, in fact, some of the interiors in the 1960s were quite ornate even by today's standards, particularly from Buick, Oldsmobile, and Cadillac.

tex2670

$1,075,000 for First Edition @ Barrett-Jackson. Yikes!

sdls

Ford as a company sure is looking pretty smart right now. They know what people want.

Toys4RJill

Part of it has to do with washing their hands from slow selling sedans. Moving that money into crossovers was the right thing to do.

tex2670

Yes. That is *exactly* why a collector would pay over $1mil for the 1st Bronco off the assembly line...sedans!

Why does every discussion have to become a rant about SUVs? You recently bought a new SUV. It doesn't matter that it's not a crossover; car companies make what their research shows customers want. This is what customers ... including you ... want. It's really that simple.

Toys4RJill

I have no idea why you are quoting me. Ford would likely be struggling if they weren’t focused on suvs like this.

tex2670

I'm quoting the post that injected eliminating sedans into the discussion.

jer

But Ford could possibly lose customers in the long run by not having any sedans. Not everyone wants a crossover/SUV/CUV, but if they purchase a sedan first and are happy with it and decide to move to a crossover type vehicle, they may be more inclined to stay within the brand of their sedan.

mmarshall

^^^^ Exactly. Jer is right on. The only catch is that, yes, Ford WILL lose some customers by dropping all the sedans, but that will also gain a lot a lot of customers with the new Bronco and Bronco Sport. And, though we'll have to wait and see exactly how sales pan out, my strong guess is that GM is going be the loser here, because they gave the Blazer name to a mid-sized crossover, while Ford, at least with the larger Bronco (not the smaller Bronco Sport) produced a true Bronco....not a suburban station-wagon.

Toys4RJill

Well, I had mentioned sedans and the cancellation of them as when Ford and GM were cancelling future sedan development...they stated they would be putting their efforts into new crossovers etc. The new Ford Bronco and the Sport are where they put their efforts and their development money. Same with GM and the Hummer EV. New Bronco, has been well received

mmarshall

The Bronco is not a crossover...it is a true ladder-frame/truck-based Bronco. The smaller Bronco Sport is a slightly modified crossover Escape.

My next-door neighbor, BTW, is a big fan of the Bronco Sport....her husband is the one that bought that big brand-new 73K Expedition a couple of years ago. She's currently got an old 1Gen Escape that is worn and significantly rusting. She didn't like the newer Escapes and their wonky styling, but the Bronco Sport has just the square looks (and good visibility) she is looking for. I expect her to (probably) have the first Bronco Sport in our neighborhood....I might even be helping her shop for it, although her husband is quite capable of finding her one without my help. We'll see.

sdls

I wonder why they’d name a crossover with the word “sport”. Just curious, honestly. Are they aiming the vehicle at the burgeoning athlete transportation market?

mmarshall

Using the "Sport" moniker is a fairly common marketing-theme automakers to depict a smaller and/or less-sophisticated brother or companion to a larger SUV or crossover.

One good example is Nissan's compact sized Rogue vs, the subcompact-sized Rogue-Sport. Another one (if you are old enough to remember it) was the Mitsubishi Montero (Pajero outside of the U.S.) vs. the smaller Montero-Sport. The Montero Sport, unlike the larger Montero, did not offer full-time 4WD...it was a part-time, truck-based system, selected using a manually-operated transfer-case and auto-lock front hubs.