Ford Bronco, Mustang Mach-E launches delayed, report says
We'll still see the Bronco this spring, but a launch is further out now. - Facebook
Both SUVs launches will likely be pushed back a couple of months in response to the coronavirus pandemic-induced production shutdown.
The coronavirus pandemic threw automakers a curveball, so delays are hardly a surprise. Ford a big year planned, and unfortunately this means a couple key cars will likely come a little later.
The Detroit News reported Friday that both the Ford Bronco and the electric Mustang Mach-E are subject to delays. The news comes after Ford's product chief, Hau Thai-Tang, mentioned the hurdles the pandemic created at a Bank of America analyst conference.
"Given our inability to work in the assembly plants during the shelter-in-place restrictions, it will have an impact to program timing, in terms of the launches," he said. However, he added the launch delays will correspond with how long production was offline. Ford halted all North American production in March and restarted work in the US today, May 18. Using Thai-Tang's timeline, we can expect plans to have moved backwards by about two months.
A Ford representative told Roadshow in a statement it still expects to "deliver the all-new Mustang Mach-E to customers late this year," though they did not speak to the delay. As for the Bronco, a Ford representative reiterated the SUV will still go on sale in January 2021.
The Mustang Mach-E will be built in Mexico and the automaker has long stood by a timeline to deliver the first cars by the end of 2020. More affordable models will come after, followed by a performance-oriented GT model in spring 2021. The Bronco was likely meant for a debut earlier this year, and we know media preview events were scrapped as COVID-19 infections rose across the US.
We're still in for two more big debuts from Ford, though. There's the Ford Bronco Sport, a rugged alternative to the Ford Escape that was rumored to bow at the New York Auto Show, and an updated F-150. The Bronco Sport was rumored to launch ahead of the Bronco and arrive this year. A spokesperson said Ford expects customer delivers of the what we know as the Bronco Sport to begin this year. The F-150 is also likely subject to delays as documents last week showed production has shifted twice and will now start closer to fall.
SOURCE: ROAD / SHOW BY CNET