The auto industry is fending off disruption from COVID-19 again.
Ford confirmed late Friday that customer delivery of its all-new Bronco will be delayed.
“The all-new Bronco two-door and four-door customer deliveries will begin in the summer rather than the spring due to COVID-related challenges our suppliers are experiencing,” Jiyan Cadiz, Bronco communications manager, told the Free Press.
“Reservation holders will be notified their orders will now be starting in mid-January instead of Monday, Dec. 7,” he said. “Reservation holders now have until March 19 to finalize their dealer selection, place their order and agree to the selling price.”
That means, specifically, reservations may go to the dealer they’ve chosen and start officially choosing specifications of the Bronco they want and putting deposits down. Right now, reservations have been placed with $100 deposits only.
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In addition, Cadiz said, the Sasquatch package with manual transmission will now move to a 2022 model year rather than a 2021 model year. It was already planned for later in the year but now it’s pushed back.
There is no specific timing on delivery of the manual transmission at this time.
Bad, bad, bad
“Oh my God,” said John McElroy, host of “Autoline After Hours” and veteran industry observer, when he heard the news. “Wow, that’s gonna hurt.”
Ford and its Bronco fans have been counting the minutes until delivery.
“Look, from the day that Ford said, ‘We’re bringing the Bronco back,’ the world went nuts. They delivered a vehicle that looks terrific and the world went nuts again. They’ve got all these orders, very high expectations and now delay,” McElroy said.
“This is total deflation It’s going to be disappointing for everybody. They’re going to get the revenue anyway, but it sure would be nice to start booking it right now. And if it’s affecting this launch, what about the Mach-E or F-Series?”
Ford declined to comment on whether the supply chain problems would impact other launches or production in general. Ford also declined to say what part of the supply chain was disrupted as it related to Bronco.
Supply chain worries
Jeoff Burris, founder of Plymouth-based Advanced Purchasing Dynamics, a supply chain consultant to auto suppliers primarily in North America, said the industry is bracing for new problems caused by the coronavirus.
“It’s not a surprise. I’ve been hearing stories for the last few months about continued supplier disruption due to COVID issues and auto manufacturers having to deploy resources into supplier facilities,” he said. “They’ll supply purchasing, quality and engineering people to suppliers to help manage the situation. As a purchasing person at Ford Motor Company for 13 years, I was deployed multiple times. You develop a skill set around resolving production issues.”
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But clearly, the current issues are overwhelming and devastating for a company with a new CEO who is eager to meet customer demand and Wall Street expectations.
“It’s a big deal,” Burris said. “It’s letting air out of a positive marketing balloon. Ford is on a roll from a brand standpoint with the Mustang Mach-E and the Bronco. The cost of having an assembly line offline and not being productive is huge, in the millions.”
GM, Toyota, too
Michelle Krebs, executive analyst at Autotrader, said Ford is not alone in feeling pain.
“We have seen problems with the supply chain due to the pandemic that have slowed and even forced the halt of production, so this comes as no surprise,” she said. “It is not catastrophic. It is understandable.”
She pointed to General Motors shutting down Corvette production and said Toyota has had problems with its truck plants.
“It’s happening across the board,” Krebs said. “Ford has done better than most getting back up to speed. It’s frankly shocking the supply chain has held up as well as it has.”
The auto industry shut down from March to May at the start of the COVID crisis.
Bronco Nation reaction
Jeff King, vice president and general manager of Bozard Ford Lincoln in St. Augustine, Florida, had just returned from birthday golf to discover the Bronco news.
“I’m not freaked out over it,” King told the Free Press. “I wish it didn’t happen but we’re going to be OK. And it’ll be great when it gets here.”
Ford notified dealers via email just after 4 p.m. on Friday, he said.
Across the country in California, Mark Brooks said he was grateful for the heads-up.
Transparency from the company is always good, he said. Bronco communication from Ford in the past has had “hiccups” and enthusiasts appreciate knowing that their constructive criticism for more information more quickly is heard. He noted exchanges on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Bronco Nation board sites late Friday.
“I got my reservation back in July,” said Brooks, 50, a credit union manager from Sacramento. “I’ve been on pins and needles since.”
A lot of changes have unfolded in recent months, he said. “We waited this long. I’m bummed. But it’s not the end of the world.”
Brooks plans to order Velocity Blue. “I’m sure it’s going to be worth the wait.”
For now, he’ll plan to drive his 2016 Ford Mustang through the summer of 2021.
Contact Phoebe Wall Howard at 313-222-6512 orphoward@freepress.com.Follow her on Twitter@phoebesaid. Read more on Ford and sign up for our autos newsletter.