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May - June 2022
Jeep Wrangler vs. Ford Bronco: No losers early Ford’s revived Bronco has expanded the off-road SUV segment instead of just ea ng into Jeep’s base. DETROIT — The Ford Bronco was billed as a thorn in the side of the Jeep Wrangler that would challenge the venerable model for off-road bragging rights ahead of its release a year ago. It’s s ll early, but the Bronco’s long- awaited return appears to have expanded the segment instead of just ea ng into the Wrangler’s base. There looks to be room for more than one trail cruiser in the SUV market. Even as the Bronco steadily carves out its own space, the Wrangler has been able to maintain its market share in the face of its first direct compe on in years, according to an S&P Global Mobility report. The Bronco’s share has climbed to as high as 6 percent at mes, S&P said, while the Wrangler con nues to account for 7 to 9 percent of the compact SUV segment as defined by S&P. The Wrangler was the Bronco’s most conquested vehicle during the nine-month period the study examined, from July 2021 through March 2022. In February, the Wrangler made up 10 percent of the Bronco’s conquests, the highest to date. t the Wrangler is holding steady.
“It looks like the pie for off-road-oriented SUVs grew when the Bronco [was] added, rather than Bronco and Wrangler figh ng over” the same slice of the market, said Stephanie Brinley, an S&P Global Mobility analyst. “The interes ng thing about it will be if anybody else decides to join in. We’re not necessarily saying we’ve got a ton of growth opportunity in that space, but Bronco’s addi on has made the pie bigger.” Nick Anderson, general manager of Chuck Anderson Ford in Excelsior Springs, Mo., said he doesn’t recall taking in a single Wrangler yet as a trade for a Bronco. Continued on Page 37
Mopar Masters Guild Magazine
