Bronco "Paper Launch" makes media headlines

[Pitpup]

Instead they can’t even give me a realistic estimate of when they might be able to deliver my vehicle.

Early July 14 res... I would poop my pants (meaning "be eternally grateful) if I simply got a VIN. Build week could be optional! Just a VIN so I know I showed up on somebody's computer long enough for them to say, "Uh huh, let's throw this one in and call it a day, team!" So much for fantasies, am I right?

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[Rick Astley]

I understand manufacturing is a mess right now.

Cool, at least we're starting with the basis for the argument

But we were square in the middle of the suck when Ford said they’d start production in March. Here we are in July, and they’ve delivered several hundred cars.

Starting to go astray a bit on the understanding of globally sourced just-in-time manufacturing.

Five months behind schedule given that it's an entirely new vehicle and has literally thousands of new parts being made all over the world by parts suppliers who were trying to work towards production on new parts..... during a global shut-down...... At a time when manufacturing is a mess (which we understand), is so incredibly close to the intended start date that this is a non-issue.

I can custom order a Wrangler today and drive it home in less than 3 months. And that’s being pessimistic about it.

Another realistic statement. Assuming we ignore a few basic facts such as:

• Jeep is using parts that had tooling/dyes/molds/production sorted out years ago.
  • What's their brand new product for 2021 that they are making? Oooooooo, I hope it's a class-competitive compact car! Would be their first one since 1954.
• Jeep is using parts that were over-produced up to a year ago and sitting around in UAW warehouses because of their labor agreements with the UAW. Chernobyl grade plastics don't have a shelf life, but they sure as heck have to be made in accordance with labor agreements.

And that’s being pessimistic about it. I’m waiting on my Bronco for right now. It looks to be every bit of what Ford promised. But I’m not waiting into 2023. And maybe not until the middle 2022.

Covered in my signature. Ford made absolutely ZERO promises to you. (I'm sorry that this is a difficult pill to swallow. They have made zero promises to me as well. Don't take it personally)

Ford has outlaid BILLIONS of dollars to get Bronco into production.

You have outlaid a 100% refundable deposit of $100 that, if you were so inclined, you could get back at any moment. You have made exactly $0.00 (rounding up) in promises to Ford and incurred exactly zero risk.

But Ford should’ve been able to deliver my Bronco by September according to THEIR schedule. Which THEY put out in the middle of the pandemic. Instead they can’t even give me a realistic estimate of when they might be able to deliver my vehicle.

Now i'm not sure this isn't just being taken personally. Do you earnestly believe that Ford's intention was to spend BILLIONS of dollars just so they could play puppet master with your $100 using your heart strings?

I'm not associated to Ford in any way, but I have to believe if they were able to produce a vehicle with which to generate revenue by selling you, they would gladly do so. And they have likely spent a metric gigaton more man-hours, effort and money to try and do so than we have by complaining about it.

 

[Bronc-Itus]

So I have Bronc-itus?

Meh. I can live with that.

I do.

 

[MrJoe]

Why do I have this odd feeling the author of this article drives a Wrangler?

and drinks O’douls

 

[MadMan4BamaNATL]

Well, I do agree it's a "captain obvious" article with no serious substance, but there's truth to it on both sides.

Fact; Ford fucked up this launch in several ways other than the engineering.

Not so simple; just getting a Wrangler because we didn't' need this blog to tell us that. We don't have a Wrangler because WE DON'T WANT A WRANGLER! We all have our reasons; I sure have mine, but so what.

Did I expect this launch to go well, no, it's a Ford. When was the last time that Ford didn't botch a launch? My expectations were extremely low for this launch, but high for the Bronco, so guess what I/we got?......

 

[CCross]

Cool, at least we're starting with the basis for the argument



Starting to go astray a bit on the understanding of globally sourced just-in-time manufacturing.

Five months behind schedule given that it's an entirely new vehicle and has literally thousands of new parts being made all over the world by parts suppliers who were trying to work towards production on new parts..... during a global shut-down...... At a time when manufacturing is a mess (which we understand), is so incredibly close to the intended start date that this is a non-issue.



Another realistic statement. Assuming we ignore a few basic facts such as:

• Jeep is using parts that had tooling/dyes/molds/production sorted out years ago.
  • What's their brand new product for 2021 that they are making? Oooooooo, I hope it's a class-competitive compact car! Would be their first one since 1954.
• Jeep is using parts that were over-produced up to a year ago and sitting around in UAW warehouses because of their labor agreements with the UAW. Chernobyl grade plastics don't have a shelf life, but they sure as heck have to be made in accordance with labor agreements.

Covered in my signature. Ford made absolutely ZERO promises to you. (I'm sorry that this is a difficult pill to swallow. They have made zero promises to me as well. Don't take it personally)

Ford has outlaid BILLIONS of dollars to get Bronco into production.

You have outlaid a 100% refundable deposit of $100 that, if you were so inclined, you could get back at any moment. You have made exactly $0.00 (rounding up) in promises to Ford and incurred exactly zero risk.



Now i'm not sure this isn't just being taken personally. Do you earnestly believe that Ford's intention was to spend BILLIONS of dollars just so they could play puppet master with your $100 using your heart strings?

I'm not associated to Ford in any way, but I have to believe if they were able to produce a vehicle with which to generate revenue by selling you, they would gladly do so. And they have likely spent a metric gigaton more man-hours, effort and money to try and do so than we have by complaining about it.

Thanks for the lesson in global economics Mr. One Hit Wonder. I really needed someone intellectually superior to me to educate me in how the world of global manufacturing works. I understand that Ford is having supply issues. I understand that much of this is out of their control. I'm still frustrated with the situation. I don't think I'm the only one. Ford did have control over the information that they pushed out. And from my perspective, they've been less than forthcoming and honest from the beginning. I never at any time said Ford owed me anything. I've even been refunded my $100 because I switched dealerships. On the flip side, I don't owe them anything either. Back to my original statement, thanks for proving my point. Ford's own PR department couldn't have tried to explain away their poor execution of the rollout of the Bronco any better than you. Exactly what I was saying, it's almost verboten to speak ill of FoMoCo here, even when its deserved.

 

[Bulletbill]

 

[Hopeless Diamond]

If people weren't tired of Wranglers and wanting a viable alternative, would we have the issue of too many orders clogging the system?

 

[AZ_Liberty]

If people weren't tired of Wranglers and wanting a viable alternative, would we have the issue of too many orders clogging the system?

Anyone who has ever owned a Jeep, and it's wonderful associated electrical gremlins is... understandably skittish... about buying another one.

If Ford offered the 7MT on the Ranger (or the 6MT from the 'Stang) that would clear some of the orders clogging the system. The large number of MT reservations shows there is pent up demand for a stick.

Same if they offered the Ranger in a Shorter wheel base in maybe a Tacoma "access cab" configuration. A lot of folks are apparently tired of being forced towards a 4-Door.

By 23, I expect the 2-door orders to be down in the 10% range, but the fact that they are around 25% shows strong demand for a 4-door alternative.

 

[shimmy825]

Whatever you guys land on, just post the video of your fight, here, for the boys

 

[mcdoogs]

Early July 14 res... I would poop my pants (meaning "be eternally grateful) if I simply got a VIN. Build week could be optional! Just a VIN so I know I showed up on somebody's computer long enough for them to say, "Uh huh, let's throw this one in and call it a day, team!" So much for fantasies, am I right?

For me it's not even getting a VIN, just having delivered on their promise of giving a loose production/delivery estimate at the end of May would have kept me much happier than I am now. Even if the date was way out, at least I'd have some sort of timeline to plan around.

I don't think it's malfeasance of course, this 'paper launch' and poor communication is entirely down to top-down incompetence

 

[Hkak45]

Since I love to add fuel to the fire…….

Ford was supposed to originally reveal the Bronco at the auto show before Covid started but they had to delay that…..


with that said I don’t blame Ford for all the mess ups like some of you do but I do think Ford could handle this communications piece better and just be open and honest about everything up front to the shareholders and customers.

 

[mcdoogs]

I understand manufacturing is a mess right now. But we were square in the middle of the suck when Ford said they’d start production in March. Here we are in July, and they’ve delivered several hundred cars. I can custom order a Wrangler today and drive it home in less than 3 months. And that’s being pessimistic about it. I’m waiting on my Bronco for right now. It looks to be every bit of what Ford promised. But I’m not waiting into 2023. And maybe not until the middle 2022. I’m a July 15 res. I know there are lots of day 1 and 2 res holders still waiting for a build date. But Ford should’ve been able to deliver my Bronco by September according to THEIR schedule. Which THEY put out in the middle of the pandemic. Instead they can’t even give me a realistic estimate of when they might be able to deliver my vehicle.

I mean, it's hard to argue that you (and the rest of us) shouldn't have at least a decent ballpark estimate by now.

I'm a couple days after you, I switched to a soft top (even though I dont really want one) but I do have sas, 2.7, and towing kit. So, I'm basically sitting here with my thumb up my ass not knowing if I *'win the lotto' and get a build email next week, or not until well into 2022. Ford undoubtedly has enough data on hand now to give us reasonable estimations (hell just tell me what quarter it's likely to be built in) of build date, there is no way they couldn't. My guess is either incompetence when it comes to data engineering, or they analyzed the data and concluded that sending out that loose estimate they promised by end of May would amount to too much bad press, because the data is bad (from a marketing/pr perspective).

*win the lotto == obtaining the privilege of paying $60k for a truck lol

 

[Rick Astley]

Thanks for the lesson in global economics Mr. One Hit Wonder. I really needed someone intellectually superior to me to educate me in how the world of global manufacturing works. I understand that Ford is having supply issues. I understand that much of this is out of their control. I'm still frustrated with the situation. I don't think I'm the only one. Ford did have control over the information that they pushed out. And from my perspective, they've been less than forthcoming and honest from the beginning. I never at any time said Ford owed me anything. I've even been refunded my $100 because I switched dealerships. On the flip side, I don't owe them anything either. Back to my original statement, thanks for proving my point. Ford's own PR department couldn't have tried to explain away their poor execution of the rollout of the Bronco any better than you. Exactly what I was saying, it's almost verboten to speak ill of FoMoCo here, even when its deserved.

I hear you dude, they are flooded with inventory and out for our souls. A friend from Montana sent me this pic today.

Maybe they have a great deal on long-term parking?

 

[Rick Astley]

Begs the question - if I can get a jeep relatively easily- what is Ford doing wrong? I feel for their dealerships to be stuck with the sh*tshow.

Ford has drastically different UAW contracts and parts management. From what I understand, as Wrangler has been such a consistently (1986) product with so few changes from decade to decade, they also have parts suppliers that have been making the same crap for decades.

Question is: can you go to a Chrysler dealership and buy something newer with no inventory constraints?
Around here the only choices you have is fully kitted out Chargers, Gladiators and Wranglers.

Gladiators have almost $7K on the hood to beg for that sale. So you could look it as "wow, nobody wants this lot cockroach of a vehicle".

Just-in-time inventory has one main weakness that has never been encountered before now. Supply-chain issues. Ford has aggressively changed their product portfolio and at what turned out to be a bad time.

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