Although the decision to make a new Ford Bronco seems obvious now, the creation of the car was only possible thanks to the work of a dedicated “underground team” working to bring the SUV back.
“Since the Bronco went out of production, there were folks within Ford that were trying to work on bringing it back,” Mark Grueber, the Bronco‘s brand chief, told Ford Authority. “There were several attempts that went far previously, there are even some images out there like one that had the internal name U260, obviously, there was the ’04 concept as well.”
As a new platform started taking shape for the Ranger, it became clear that it could be the basis for a new Bronco. All the underground team had to do was pitch the idea to higher-ups.
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“It was just a question of getting the proposal together to convince management that this was the space we could compete in and there was a market for it, and not just a couple of whackos thinking that we need to do this,” said Grueber.
A quick look at the prices of classic Broncos helped suggest that the nameplate had positive associations. Then a look at the market for off-road SUVs was equally encouraging.
“Frankly, there was a strong market,” said Grueber. “Our competitor was actually growing and there wasn’t a choice out there for people who wanted something a little different so I think those were some of the things that gave us confidence that there was an opportunity for it.”
The rest, as they say, is history, but it wouldn’t have come to pass if it weren’t for a dedicated group of insiders advocating for the Bronco’s return.
