How many blue oval badges do you think Ford put on the new Bronco? The answer is way lower than you’d expect. Scroll through some photos of the 2021 Bronco if you don’t believe me. There’s only one Ford badge on the entirety of the new 4×4, a small blue oval on the bottom of the tailgate on the driver’s side.
The word “Ford” barely even makes an appearance on the new Bronco. The only place we were able to find it is on the optional pull-out cargo tray in the Bronco’s trunk. Aside from that, every other badge or brand on the new 4×4 says “Bronco.”
The same is true of the smaller Bronco Sport, which has a single blue oval on the tailgate and no “Ford” branding anywhere else.
It’s especially odd when you look at the first-generation Bronco, the 1966 model that played a huge role in inspiring the new 2021 off-roader. That model wears the Ford name proudly on its grille, as is the case with just about every other truck or 4×4 the company has ever made.
Why was Ford so stingy with the badging on the new Bronco? “When you already have such a full lineup of SUVs in the Ford side of the house, and you want to do something different and be authentic in the off-road space, Bronco gives us that latitude,” said Jiyan Cadiz, a Ford spokesperson.
“We don’t want there to be cross-pollination in the showroom,” Cadiz continued. “You have our mainstream Ford SUVs, everything from EcoSport to Expedition, and then on the other side, for those who want to adventure, want an authentic off-road vehicle, we have the Bronco brand—Bronco two-door, four-door and Sport. It needed to be different, we didn’t want it to be a badge-engineering exercise. Through and through, they have to be Broncos first… and from the brand standpoint, you see that across the grille.”
Cadiz also brought up a point about the hardcore off-road market, a segment that has been almost wholly owned by the Jeep Wrangler. “Arguably, Bronco is gonna give us the latitude to reach new customers that maybe hadn’t considered a Ford before,” he said. “This is something different. It doesn’t look like the rest of the Ford lineup from a styling aspect. Our built Ford tough quality continues on… but Bronco gives us that differentiation and authenticity in the off-road space.”
So while there may not hardly be any Ford branding on the new Bronco and Bronco Sport, Ford is confident that a single blue-oval badge on the tailgate is enough to get the message across to buyers.
Source: Road & Track
