Bronco Weekly #14

Ford’s Production Problems Due To Chip Shortage

Companies throughout the automotive industry have been affected by a dramatic chip shortage. Since electronic components are such an integral part of basically all car systems, a chip shortage means that these companies can't complete their vehicles and send them off to sell to their customers. So far, Ford has been among the companies hit the hardest.

Ford’s CEO, Jim Farley, has told CBS that he expects things to get worse before they get better and that Q2 production will be affected the most. He said that the chip supply should be back to normal by the second half of 2021, with 2022 production then moving forward without any hiccups. 

Ford Bronco Sport Mexico Sells Out in Just a Few Hours

Ford decided that one of the first export markets for the Bronco Sport would be Mexico and has announced a unique First Edition model with special colors and a full list of optional equipment to commemorate the decision.

As you'd likely expect, the Bronco is as popular in Mexico as it is in the USA, so interest in the 2021 model is substantial. Nonetheless, Ford Mexico didn’t expect that all 130 available units of the First Edition model would be sold out in just a couple of hours! Interestingly, in a sense the Bronco Sport is a Mexican product, since it's assembled in the Hermosillo Assembly Plant, but it had not been offered to Mexican buyers until now.

Ford Bronco Sport Production To Pause Due To Chip Shortage

Speaking of the Hermosillo Assembly Plant and Bronco Sport production -- we have some bad news. Apparently, the chip shortage is so significant that Ford has been forced to pause assembly on a few of its most popular models, including the Bronco Sport. We're talking about a 3 to 4-week delay, which will definitely hurt sales.

At the moment, the Bronco Sport is one of Ford's hottest SUV offerings, with sales in excess of 30,000 units since its late 2020 release. So, to pause such a successful offering in its first model year was no doubt a very tough decision on Ford's part.

We just hope that it won't affect Bronco production, which has already been delayed before. 

Stock 2021 Bronco Finishes Third in Mexican Rally!

Ever since the Bronco project was first announced, Ford has shown racing ambitions for its new model. First, the Bronco R concept race car was entered into the 4600 Stock and 4400 Unlimited classes at this year’s King Of Hammers event. Now we have another successful racing Bronco, in the form of an almost entirely stock yellow, four-door Badlands, which just finished third in the NORRA Mexican 1000 mile off-road rally.

With its stock engine, suspension, and drive train, this Badlands is pretty much the same one you can get at your local dealership. The only difference would be safety equipment -- namely, the obligatory roll cage.