Yeah, this sucks but you knew it was probably going to happen. Ford has just announced that the Bronco won’t happen in 2020. The pent up anticipation over the Bronco has made it the most expectant vehicle this year. But now there will be no Bronco until 2021. The three other new offerings from Ford in 2020 have also been pushed back. But Ford says the Bronco Sport, Mustang Mach E, and F-150 pickup will be hitting dealer showrooms later in 2020. So, we will still get them for 2020 but they’re delayed again.

Many factories have opened back up today, May 18

Of course, you know why; COVID-19. The plants being shut down have wreaked havoc on the auto industry. Many factories have opened back up today, May 18, but there could be stops and starts. Tier 2 suppliers need the same testing requirements as huge manufacturers. But some don’t have the capital necessary to do all of the testing, cleaning, and production modifications for close worker assembly. Problems like this could keep plants from completing vehicles. 

Mexico, where a lot of both manufacturing and component assembly happen, has gone back and forth on whether to open today. The Mexican government has similar safety protocols established in the US. But many of the smaller shops in and around Mexico either have not completed the necessary plant changes or simply can’t swallow the costs.

Ford is expected to see a $5 billion loss in the second quarter of 2020

As you know even one small component can confound assembly completion. Ford needs to be producing as much as it can for it posted a 2020 Q1 net loss of $2 billion. It is expected to see a $5 billion loss in the second quarter of 2020 according to the Detroit Free Press. So, you know all of these delayed vehicles bring in the most revenue for Ford. The Bronco delay will further cost the company vast amounts of money.

“We’re not going to do any additional delay to these launches beyond the impact of Covid-19 as a mechanism to conserve cash,” said Hau Thai-Tang, Ford’s product development, and purchasing head. “Given our inability to work in the assembly plants during the shelter-in-place restrictions, it will have an impact on program timing in terms of the launches. But we expect the launch delays to be commensurate with the duration of the shutdown period.”

Ford has been manufacturing vehicles in those countries for several weeks

Ford has had an opportunity to test various safety protocols at factories in China and Europe. It has been manufacturing vehicles in those countries for several weeks. The same goes for both GM and Fiat Chrysler. It is expected that the restart today will go fairly smooth providing suppliers have been able to ramp up production as well.

While the Bronco won’t be available until 2021 we at least hope to see it debut this year. It was to have been unveiled in April. If there is an LA Auto Show In November that would be a great place to debut the SUV. But, we get it. Right now nothing can be scheduled too far out until there are better indicators of how long the coronavirus will be around.