Sam Krahn 
After months of speculation, the so-called “Baby Bronco” finally has a name. According to a leak discovered by a forum member on Bronco6G, the crossover will be called the Bronco Maverick. Or perhaps simply the Ford Maverick. It’s not immediately clear.
Update June 2, 2021: it is immediately clear that the Ford Maverick name will represent a new small pickup truck that will be no larger than a Mustang. The rest of the report reads as original based on information at the time.
Corroborating this is a USPTO filing from Ford Motor Company for the renewal of the “Maverick” name that dates back to December 15, 2016 and later published for opposition on April 17, 2018. There’s yet to be a filing for “Bronco Maverick.” Another name that was perceived to be the frontrunner, Bronco Scout, is a “dead” trademark filing, meaning that Ford Motor Company no longer intends to use the name as originally thought.
That being said, it’s widely understood that Ford Motor Company is creating a family of off-road oriented utility vehicles that will make up a Bronco family of vehicles. Under the anticipated Bronco brand (or sub-brand), expect the “Bronco Maverick” name to stick. The vehicle will share the Ford C2 platform with the 2020 Escape, and will give costumers who feel the Escape is too sedate an option of a compact utility vehicle that is more rugged than the rest of the blasé people movers in the segment. We don’t cover those vehicles here.
The Ford Maverick should also carry over the mechanical components of the Escape given its platform sharing. This means the Escape’s turbocharged three and four cylinder engines should be on offer, as with front or all-wheel-drive. We could even see a hybrid drivetrain make its way over, as well.
This is a far cry from the original Ford Maverick: a compact muscle car produced from 1969 to 1977 that rivaled the Chevrolet Nova. But, because it will maintain a little brother positioning to the Bronco as the original did with the Mustang, and considering it will be something that will likely be pretty fun to drive around, we doubt there will be much protest from the Ford enthusiast community. Compared to the Mustang Mach-E, of course.
The most obvious rival of the Ford Bronco Maverick will be the Jeep Compass. Like the Jeep, the Bronco Maverick should still have some off-road capabilities, but customers of these cars seldom use them. At minimum, costumers can feel confident the little SUV can handle snowy winter conditions.
While two known models in the Bronco family have now been spied, there’s also rumors of an upcoming Bronco pickup truck to square off against the Jeep Gladiator. With that in mind, it seems like some of the most exciting products from Ford Motor Company are waiting for us just around the corner.
