No Early Losers

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 fi rst 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 defi ned 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 fi gh 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

Continued from Page 36 Some buyers are ge ng the Bronco as their third or fourth vehicle and not trading anything in, he said. “I don’t think it’s really taking away the Jeep market,” Anderson said. “I think it’s giving people that never really gave that segment of vehicle a chance an opportunity to buy something that they want.”

More adventure-seekers

Karl Brauer, execu ve analyst at iSeeCars.com, said he thinks Ford and Jeep both have to be sa sfi ed with how their off -road rivalry is playing out so far. The Bronco is “turning more people into adventure-seeking off -road enthusiasts,” Brauer said, “rather than taking some kind of fi xed number of those and stealing them from Jeep.”

S&P Global said almost half of Bronco purchasers already have a Ford in the garage. The study found that Bronco customers tend to be slightly younger than Wrangler buyers, have marginally higher incomes and more o en are men. Anderson said the Wrangler has a cultlike following that is diffi cult to break into even if buyers like some of the Bronco’s technology. At this stage, he wouldn’t call it a sales race between the Bronco and Wrangler as much as it is a produc on ba le, with Ford trying to fulfi ll a backlog of orders amid the ongoing microchip shortage.

“There was so much market an cipa on and hype for the vehicle,” said Fernando Varela, owner of two Ford stores in Pales ne and Kilgore, Texas. “What we’re doing is fulfi lling orders for people that have placed orders for the last two years. They’re really not staying in inventory very long.”

Orders for the 2022 Bronco have closed. Anderson said he wouldn’t be surprised if Ford ends up selling out two or three years’ worth of Broncos before dealers are able to keep them in stock. “I think the overall market is just going to grow” in the off -road department, Anderson said. “That’s where the Bronco’s going to step in and not necessarily gain market share from Jeep, but gain part of the new market share. That’s how they’re going to survive.”

More versions

Mike Marco e, president of Marco e Ford in Holyoke, Mass., said he hopes Wrangler owners can test drive Broncos as more inventory becomes available. He believes some can be won over.

“I think the more that are out there, obviously the more people can see them on the road,” the more new customers the Bronco can generate for Ford, Marco e said. “We did have one in our rental fl eet for about six months, which was great.”

While the Bronco con nues to fi nd its place, Jeep should “stay the course” with the Wrangler and “con nue to reinforce the image of a unique, true off -roader,” said Tom Libby, S&P Global’s associate director of loyalty solu ons and industry analysis for automo ve.

There is a plug-in hybrid version of the Wrangler, unlike the Bronco, and Jeep tends to periodically release other varia ons to keep buyers interested.

“Jeep’s going to update the vehicle because that’s what they do,” Brinley said. “You’ve got 4xe, 392 and diff erent versions of the Wrangler, so there’s s ll plenty for them to do with it.”

Source: www.autonews.com - Ar cle by VINCE BOND JR.