It’s a good start for Ford’s compact pickup.
Arguably the biggest question when Ford unveiled its new Maverick pickup truck was whether buyers would respond. The full-size F-Series has dominated North American sales for decades, but the small unibody Maverick is a completely different animal from its big brother.
Ford CEO Jim Farley seems happy with the progress thus far as he took to Twitter to tell the world that 100,000 Maverick reservations are already in the books. Furthermore, he elaborated that just three states – California, Florida, and Texas – are where most of the reservations are coming from. To be even more specific, Los Angeles and San Francisco are cities that apparently love the Maverick more than most. Farley didn’t offer deeper insight into Florida or Texas.
The 100,000 milestone comes approximately two and a half months after Ford debuted the new pickup. Advertised with a base price before delivery fees of $19,995 and a standard-issue hybrid powertrain, the Maverick isn’t really aimed at traditional pickup truck buyers. Instead, Ford hopes to woo people away from compact sedans and hatchbacks, or capture first-time new car buyers with a vehicle that can seat five, carry an impressive amount of cargo, and manage 40 mpg in the city.
Gallery: 2022 Ford Maverick
Farley seems happy with the early response to Maverick, but are 100,000 reservations in 12 weeks an indication that the truck is a hit? By comparison, the new Bronco had over double the reservations in just two weeks, and those weren’t free. As for the competition, there really isn’t any aside from the also-new Hyundai Santa Cruz, but stepping up slightly we see Toyota sold 248,801 Tacomas in 2019, and 122,304 Chevrolet Colorado trucks also sold that year, the last unaffected by either a global pandemic, a computer chip shortage, or both.
Earlier this year, Ford told its suppliers to expect annual Maverick sales of 110,000. If Maverick reservations convert to sales at the same percentage as the Bronco, Ford is already more than halfway to its yearly target. In that sense, it seems Maverick is indeed off to a good start.
Source:
Jim Farley / Twitter
Source: Read Full Article