Sometimes, being too popular can be a big headache. Just ask Ford. The company’s reimagined Bronco has remained wildly popular since the vehicle debuted in 2021.
The Detroit-based automaker delivered 97,315 Bronco SUVs to customers last year. According to Fox News, that number could have been even higher were it not for production constraints.
For comparison, the Mustang Mach-E, which launched in 2021, the same year as the reimagined Bronco, sold 28,029 vehicles through the first nine months of 2022, according to Ford Authority.
Alongside a semiconductor shortage, part supplies remain low, and Ford has been unable to keep up with demand.
“We are working hard to deliver every Bronco reserved or ordered to customers. Due to ongoing supply chain challenges, we are notifying a small number of existing Bronco reservation and order holders that they can receive a 2023 model year Bronco if they remove certain constrained features,” Ford’s North America Product Communications Director Mike Levine told The Dallas Express.
The features in question include the molded-in-color hardtop, where the hardtop’s exterior matches the car’s gray interior, the Sasquatch off-road upgrade package, featuring 35-inch tires and front and rear locking differentials, and the Lux package option, which comes with adaptive cruise control, a 10-speaker B&O audio system, and navigation, among other features.
Ford’s backlog has become so jammed that it is now offering a $2,500 rebate to 2023 Bronco reservation holders who have requested these features that are willing to switch to another Bronco trim or a different vehicle altogether.
Those interested in the offer can downgrade to another Bronco configuration or apply the savings to a new order on a Bronco Sport, Escape, Edge, Explorer, Expedition, Ranger, or F-150 with sales dates through April 3, 2023, according to Fox News.
“For consumers looking to purchase, lease, or retail order another eligible Ford vehicle, they must cancel their current 2023 Bronco order by March 7, 2023,” Levine told The Dallas Express.
“Customers who remove constrained features are expected to receive a 2023 model year Bronco along with a $2,500 rebate toward purchase or lease in addition to existing MSRP price protection they may have,” he explained.
“Customers who do not want to modify their reservation or order have four choices: applying the $2,500 rebate to the purchase of another Ford vehicle, canceling their reservation and receiving a refund of their $100 deposit, placing a new order for a 2024 model year Bronco, or they can try to locate a suitable Bronco at the dealer of their choice that may be available for sale,” Levine added.
“Customers must take delivery of a modified order Bronco or a new eligible Ford vehicle to receive the $2,500 incentive,” he said in summation.
The offer also applies to some in-stock vehicles, including the Mustang and the Maverick. However, the Mustang Mach-E and Raptor versions of the Bronco and F-150 are not included in the offer.
Levine said that reservation holders set on their configuration could also opt for a 2024 Bronco or cancel altogether if they choose not to use the incentive on another vehicle. If customers opt to do nothing and their Bronco cannot be delivered during the 2023 model year, Ford says the order will be canceled.
“If we are not able to schedule a reservation or order for production, it will be canceled for the 2023 model year, and their $100 reservation deposit will be refunded automatically,” Levine said.