The Ford Bronco and Ranger Have the Same Frustrating Issue
Sometimes siblings just want some space but often have to share the same room or squish together in the backseat. The Ford Bronco and Ford Ranger share a lot of things in common, including growing pains. Being assembled at the same factory may cause the Ford Bronco and Ranger to both have delays.
Where are the Ford Bronco and Ford Ranger built?
The Ford Bronco and Ford Ranger are both put together at the Michigan Assembly Plant. But when the United Auto Workers (UAW) strike hit in the fall, workers walked out, leaving Ranger and Bronco models on the line.
It took six weeks before an agreement was made and Ford is still trying to get production back on track. However, Ford needs to get 2024 Ranger models to new customers and pushed some 2023 Bronco orders back to 2024.
So Ford is trying to balance production for both of these models that are experiencing high demand. If Ford focuses on building more Bronco models then Ranger production stalls and vice versa.
In January, Ford cranked out 12,143 Bronco units. This is a 9.0% decrease or 1,999 fewer models that were built in December.
But Ranger production grew from 2,242 units in December to 2,664 in January, which is a 558% increase. Only 256 Ranger models were made in November, so this is significant growth at the expense of Bronco production.
However, Ford is working to increase production for both models by moving 700 workers from the Rouge Electric Center to the Michigan Assembly Plant, where a third shift will be added.
Production of the Ford F-150 Lightning is being cut due to declining demand, so Ford is moving people where it needs them the most.
Interestingly, Bronco inventory is growing among dealerships. Ford released a new incentive that pays dealerships $500 per 2023 or 2024 Bronco model that’s sold. So, perhaps it’s a good time to pull back on the Bronco to increase Ranger production.
Currently, the wait time for the 2024 Bronco and Ranger could be up to six months to a year, so finding a model at the dealership could be the fastest way to get behind the wheel.
