Ford is Bringing Back the Bronco

Gearheads are salivating as they await details on the new model.

The recent announcement by Ford that it would be moving its U.S. small car production to San Luis Potosi, Mexico prompted several angry comment from IEN readers on our website. Heck, it even came up in the presidential debate. And while many bemoaned the lost jobs, Ford representatives did damage control, most of which basically consisted of – hey, don’t just read the headline. Finish the article.

You see, when Ford announced the small car production move to Mexico, it also declared that no jobs would be lost and that the current production facilities in Michigan would now produce Ford SUVs and trucks.

Well, now the automotive writers are salivating over the latest details – that one of these SUVs will be none other than the late-and-great Ford Bronco. Bill Johnson, chairman of UAW local 900, let it slip the Detroit Free Press last week, and speculation abounds as to what this vehicle will look like. According to the Free Press, many fans of the old Bronco hope Ford will bring back a two-door version but that's unlikely in an era where consumers value convenience and flexible design.

Others wonder if Ford could refashion the seven-passenger Everest (currently produced in Australia) into the Bronco.

Whatever happens, this nostalgia for the vehicle made famous by a much-extended 1990s newscast, just might make people forget that it really would be better if Ford were making both its small cars and its larger vehicles her in the U.S. I mean… it’s technically “no jobs lost” but… isn’t it still jobs lost?

That said, the automaker made a commitment in November to invest $9 billion in U.S. plants and create or retain more than 8,500 jobs as part of a new four-year contract with the UAW. Of that, $4.8 billion goes to 11 facilities in Michigan.

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