Lucas Bell 
Despite launching all new versions of their popular Escape and Explorer models, as well as a handful of new offerings from Lincoln, the Blue Oval posted a fall in profits of nearly 99 percent over the previous year. While that certainly isn’t a great look for the automaker, the company spent a significant amount of time gearing up for what they hope will be a great 2020, thanks in no small part to the upcoming 2021 Ford F-150 pickup and Ford Bronco SUV. But there’s more.
Ford has planned a barrage of vehicle launches for 2020, including the aforementioned trucks as well as the the Bronco Maverick (Bronco Sport?) and the Mustang Mach-E SUVs. If you had any doubt that this is an SUV driven world, Ford is further making their position on the subject clear. In order to launch so many new vehicles this year, the automaker had to invest heavily into the production facilities responsible for construction.
The Dearborn Truck Plant has received $700 million in order to get tooled up for the 14th generation Ford F-150, the company’s best selling vehicle. According to a report by MotorTrend, Ford’s president of automotive Joe Hinrichs says that the company has benefitted from seeing the current crop of trucks from FCA and GM as they get ready to position the F-150 to continue its segment sales dominance. The Ford F-150 carries the highest average transaction prices out of any pickup in its segment, which should help to drive profits once the truck launches during the second half of the year.
Meanwhile, according to Automotive News, Ford will be unveiling the upcoming Bronco SUV in March (and allegedly not June), it is fair to say that the truck won’t officially be reborn until production begins. That is expected to happen late this year, so that deliveries will begin in 2021, according to Ford CFO Tim Stone. The SUV will share its platform with the Ford Ranger, and is also slated to be built at the newly retooled Michigan Assembly Plant. Ford spent $750 million to swap the facility over from small car production.
The “baby Bronco,” aka Bronco Maverick, aka Bronco Sport (really, the name has been such a cluster of intel even today) is set to debut in April, likely at the 2020 New York Auto Show. And even though the smaller of the two Broncos – this one based on the Ford Escape – will reportedly debut after the big Bronco, it will hit the market sooner. The same AN report claims the smaller Bronco will hit dealers late this year, just ahead of its big brother. Between all Ford Bronco variants both big and small, the automaker is reportedly targeting an annual sales volume of 200,000 units. In addition, Ford plans on re-launching the iconic SUV nameplate with hundreds of accessories.
By year’s end, 75 percent of the Ford lineup will be all-new or newly refreshed, which the Blue Oval hopes will help drive them back to regular levels of profit. While we can’t say for sure how 2020 is going to go for the Dearborn-based automaker, we wouldn’t bet against the power of the Ford F-150 or the returning fan-favorite Bronco.
