Bronco Sport Boosts Ford’s Compact Crossover Share
Photo: Ford
The compact crossover segment is one of the hottest things going, but Ford’s had trouble keeping up with the competition despite overhauling the Escape a few years back. But thanks to the all-new Bronco Sport, which shares a platform with the Escape, Ford’s share of the segment is on the rise.
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Ford compact crossovers make major gain in share in 2021
Automotive News reports that, per data from LMC Automotive, the combination of the Ford Bronco Sport and Escape has allowed Ford to gain significant market share in the first half of 2021. Ford has gained three percentage points over 2020, rising from 8 percent share to 11 percent. LMC Automotive data notes that Toyota and General Motors have lost share and Honda’s share is stagnant.
Just as important as gaining share is the fact that Bronco Sport sales aren’t biting into sales of the Escape. In fact, Escape sales were up 0.8 percent in the first half of 2021 with sales of 85,492 vehicles — making it Ford’s third biggest volume seller behind the F-Series and Explorer. The Escape Hybrid and Escape Plug-In Hybrid have also helped Ford earn record sales for electrified vehicles through June.
Bronco Sport pulls in new customers by being unique
Photo: Ford
Ford says that around two-thirds of Bronco Sport buyers are coming in from other brands. Through six months, Ford has sold 60,514 of its new rugged crossover. That’s good enough for the No. 4 spot on Ford’s sales charts, putting it just ahead of the Ranger.
Ford’s goal with the Escape and Bronco Sport is to offer two distinctly different vehicles that will appeal to different buyers. Clearly, that strategy is working.
“We really saw an opportunity to better compete by offering two nameplates,” said Ford U.S. Consumer Marketing Manager Mark Grueber. “We see some customers looking for more sleek, urban imagery and styling and others looking for more rugged, off-road capability. We think we have great differentiation between the two.”
If the Bronco Sport keeps its hot streak and the Escape stays the course, Ford could potentially see its share of the compact crossover segment overtake Chevrolet and Jeep by year’s end.
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Kyle S. Johnson lives in Cincinnati, a city known by many as “the Cincinnati of Southwest Ohio.” He enjoys professional wrestling, Halloween, and also other things. He has been writing for a while, and he plans to continue to write well into the future. See more articles by Kyle.