Ford Delays Launches of Bronco, Mustang Mach-E, and F-150

author: Vineeth Joel Patel   

The coronavirus threw a large hitch in a lot of automaker's plans. Because of the pandemic, numerous automakers had to shut their North American factories down for a few months to keep their workers safe. Ford shut down its American plants on March 19 and officially opened them on May 18. Those two months have put the American automaker behind schedule and has now resulted in the brand having to delay the launch of a few of its upcoming vehicles.

Three Major Vehicles Have Been Delayed

According to a report by The Detroit News, Ford is delaying the launch of three incredibly important vehicles: the redesigned F-150 pickup truck, Bronco SUV, and all-electric Mustang Mach-E. The outlet claims that the launch of these three vehicles will be pushed back by approximately two months, or the same amount of time its factories were closed because of the coronavirus.

"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," said Hau Thai-Tang, Ford's head of product development and purchasing, on Friday at a Bank of America analysts' conference. "But we expect the launch delays to be commensurate with the duration of the shutdown period."

These three vehicles are expected to bring in a lot of money for Ford, which is in dire need of cash at the moment. The outlet claims that the American brand will lose approximately $5 billion just this quarter. While Ford is doing everything that it can to help bring things back up to speed, there's only so much it can do.

Why These Three Are Important

In a statement to Roadshow, a Ford representative told the outlet that it still expects to "deliver the all-new Mustang Mach-E to customers late this year." The representative didn't say anything about the delay. In regard to the Bronco, the automaker claimed that the SUV was still on schedule to go on sale at the beginning of 2021. So, from Ford's end, it sounds like things are still on track.

All three of these vehicles are important for Ford. The F-150 has been the automaker's bread and butter since day one. Throughout the coronavirus, pickup trucks continued to reign supreme in sales and the F-150 has been the best-selling vehicle in the U.S. for a number of years. A redesigned F-150 would help the brand maintain its dominant sales streak.

The upcoming Bronco is a rugged SUV meant to compete with the likes of the Jeep Wrangler. It's the revival of a historic nameplate, which should bring in some nostalgic consumers. The Bronco will also spawn a miniature version in the form of the Bronco Sport, which will be based on the Ford Escape, but a more rugged vehicle.

Lastly, the Mustang Mach-E is Ford's first attempt at a real electric vehicle. The EV will extend the Mustang family to new heights and to a place where it's never been before. The Mustang Mach-E is supposed to show consumers and executives that Ford knows how to keep up with other electric brands in modern times, so it's highly important for the automaker.

Vineeth Joel Patel

Joel Patel has been covering all aspects of the automotive industry for four years as an editor and freelance writer for various websites. When it comes to cars, he enjoys covering the merger between technology and cars. In his spare time, Joel likes to watch baseball, work on his car, and try new foods