Ford Bronco R entering Baja 1000 ahead of retail revival
Ford is entering a racing version of its Bronco R in the 2019 Baja 1000 ahead of its spring retail revival. The Bronco R features a modern design based on the 1966 original’s boxy styling.
The Bronco may not be Ford’s only historic nameplate getting a reboot next year.
Along with the off-road SUV, the automaker is planning to introduce a pickup smaller than the Ranger that may be called the Maverick, according to a new report.
TFLTruck.com has posted an image of an allegedly leaked computer-aided design rendering of a pickup tailgate with the Maverick name stamped into it below an oval indent shaped like the Ford logo. (Ironically, the word “maverick” describes an unbranded calf that had become separated from its domesticated herd.)
(Ford)
Americans will remember the Maverick as a compact car sold in the 1970s, but the name has also been used on Ford SUVs sold in other markets, including a European version of the Escape. Ford renewed its U.S. trademark on the name in 2018 for use on automobiles, but has not said if it has plans to use it, or commented on the TFLTruck.com report.
(Ford)
According to Automotive News, the new pickup will feature a unibody chassis similar to the Honda Ridgeline and the previous Brazilian-made Ford Courier, rather than body-on-frame construction like the Ranger, and will be manufactured at Ford’s Hermosillo, Mexico, factory starting in 2021.
The plant is also where Ford’s upcoming “Baby Bronco” compact SUV that may be called the Bronco Sport will be produced on a unibody platform shared with the Ford Escape, suggesting the Maverick could also share its underpinnings, which promise to be more rugged than the Escape’s.