Name: Why Ford Is Betting Big On Its Bronco Revival
Uploaded: 2021-06-06T02:49:34.000Z
Duration: 18 min 34 s
Description: VoiceTubeの動画で発音を聞きながら英語表現を覚えよう！学べる英語：

In 2020, amid a global pandemic, Ford finally launched a highly anticipated

関係詞節（制限と非制限）

product that could restore a beloved brand name, take on the off road SUV

market, and rake in the profits the company badly needs.

The Bronco is a name that is familiar to generations of car buyers, first

introduced in the mid 1960s, it had a tough, rugged image and symbolized

an adventurous lifestyle many Americans aspired to.

It lasted for about three decades during which it endured a fuel crisis

car market that saw the rapid influx of highly successful imports that

After it was discontinued, it remained a favorite vehicle for collectors

And Ford is capitalizing on both nostalgia and the heightened interest in

Ford is promoting the Bronco as an off-road ready sport utility and has

debuted a new "Built Wild" brand campaign around it.

Ford is already the strongest brand in full sized trucks and has wowed the

market with the Raptor, an innovative off-road version of its best selling

But with the Bronco, Ford is going head to head with another best selling

brand, the Jeep Wrangler, which is extremely well established in the

Ford is also releasing the Bronco while the United States struggles

through the coronavirus pandemic and its resulting economic fallout.

But with stiff competition and economic strain, the question is, can the

automaker sell a vehicle it has been hyping for years?

This Bronco brand represents fun, it represents off-road, it represents

kind of some classic American nameplate that goes way back.

Those people who remember that history and know that history, they're

going to love seeing the name plate come back.

Ford traces the history of the Bronco back to World War Two when the

automaker competed for government contracts to make military vehicles,

Ford sold 275,000 GPW jeeps during the war.

But the Bronco itself didn't come out for another 20 years, in the 1960s,

As an aside, there is an early sketch of the Bronco that was the handiwork

of McKinley Thompson Jr., the first black designer to be hired by any of

The Bronco project was led largely by Don Frey, who had just overseen the

launch of the now legendary Ford Mustang, the small two door pony car that

became a massive seller and an iconic American car.

The idea with Bronco was to build a sturdy Jeep like vehicle that would

also be able to handle on the highway something other models at the time

International Harvester and Jeep CJ were the only two kind of viable

We talked about thousands of Jeep owners and thousands of Scout owners to

find out what they like and didn't like about the vehicles.

And what we found out is they weren't very good on the highway.

When the Bronco came out, Frey said in a press release that there was a new

pony in the stable, referring to the fact that both Mustang and Bronco

But the Bronco was not expected to be the runaway success Mustang was.

In the 1960s, the off-road vehicle segment was a niche market.

It was a vehicle purpose built for recreation.

The early Bronco was only available with two doors, though there was a

wagon version which did have a rear seat.

It had a spartan interior, no air conditioning, and few other creature

comforts. Over time, some of those were added.

The first generation Bronco was actually rather small compared with those

that came later. The vehicle was meant to be updated with a larger

footprint in the mid 1970s, but the oil embargoes and fuel shortages

The larger Bronco finally did debut in 1978 and was based on the F-Series,

Ford's long running and top selling line of full size pickup trucks.

The automaker tried to widen the product lineup with a smaller version of

The vehicle was considered a flop, but it was the precursor to the

Explorer, which is now one of the best selling SUVs of all time.

In all, the Bronco ran for about 30 years before Ford pulled the plug.

By the late 1990s, market tastes had shifted and those who were buying

Fords wanted the family friendly explorer with its four doors, not the

However, throughout its three decade life, the Bronco did develop a

following. It was helped by Bronco's reputation as a desert racing truck,

exemplified by its performance in the Baja 500 and Baja 1000 races.

Bronco's got a real rich history in off-road racing in particular at Baja.

The vehicle behind me here is the Rod Hall, the winning truck in '69 at

It also garnered some fame through popular culture.

So when John Paul the second made his first visit to the US, he was

shepherded around during his public visits in a modified Popemobile

Bronco. And there's a great photo of John Paul the second at Yankee

Stadium waving to the crowd at the back of his Bronco.

Since its discontinuation, the vehicle has become highly sought after by

collectors. Vintage Broncos fetch high prices, its cult status and racing

history left it poised for a resurrection.

For Ford, bringing Bronco back is about reviving a legendary name in a

moment when so many customers are turning toward sport utilities possibly

for good. The Broncos primary target, the Jeep Wrangler, is regarded by

many in the industry as one of the strongest brands in the entire

automotive world. Apart from a few other models, including perhaps pricey

Land Rovers and the also pricey Toyota Land Cruiser, the Wrangler is

considered the tough off road SUV to have.

It has a worldwide reputation for its ruggedness and quintessential