If there’s any other vehicle today that enjoys the limelight as much as the Tesla Cybertruck, it's the Ford Bronco. Amidst all the what’s-it-going-to-be-called and when’s-it-launching news, a report from Automotive News claims that Ford will be offering over 150 accessories for the Bronco once it starts arriving at dealerships. What those accessories will be is unclear at this moment, but you can expect stuff like light bars and different roof configurations. Does this ring alarming bells for the Wrangler?

What Will It Take To Trump The Wrangler?

For starters, the Wrangler enjoys a long legacy and is respected and adored by enthusiasts worldwide. It needed a legendary moniker to give it a tough competition, and Ford has that covered. The Wrangler is a customization-friendly SUV and comes with a lot of accessories on offer, thanks to the part bible going by the name of Mopar. The Blue Oval, however, set up a similar shop by teaming up with Yakima, an aftermarket company, to develop accessories for the Bronco. The company will be offering over 150 accessories for the off-roader right from its launch.

Ford Won’t Be Repeating Its Past Mistakes

Ford planned to do the same with the Ranger, but it failed due to a lot of reasons, like the lack of part availability and messed up shipping schedules. The Blue Oval wants to make up for this mistake and make sure the Bronco doesn’t suffer in the same way.

Automotive News reports that Tim Hovik, a member of the Ford council and owner of San Tan Ford in Gilbert, Ariz, said that “at launch, we may not have had as many accessories as we would have wanted, but as Ranger has evolved, the accessories have caught up. We feel like we’ve taken a step forward to modernize our distribution system to give the dealers more options and faster order fills so we’re more efficient with our customers and can deliver a better experience for them.”

Ford is working on this diligently and wants to make sure there are no hiccups when the Bronco arrives. The report also says that “the automaker in recent months has replaced more than half of its regional accessories distributors, updated a website for dealers and promised faster parts shipments when the rugged utility arrives in early 2021. Officials plan to initially offer more than 150 Bronco accessories, all of which can be warrantied and financed through Ford Motor Credit Co.”

There is no denying that accessories have fat margins for both the manufacturer as well as the dealership. Imagine the moolah this will rake in for the brand.



Accessories And Parts Play A Major Role

The Jeep Wrangler is known to be a highly customizable vehicle and a report recently revealed that a Wrangler owner spends around $800 on an average just on accessories. To go up against that, Ford needs to do the same. Jeep even managed to replicate the winning recipe with the Gladiator, with every owner spending an average of $1,000 on accessories before taking delivery.

The backbone behind this is obvious – accessories available right from the launch. Mopar's head of Performance and Accessories, Kim Mathers, told Automotive News on an earlier occasion that 90-percent of the accessories compatible with the 2020 Gladiator were available at the Jeep dealerships as soon as the truck went on sale. No wonder Ford wants to use the same success formula for the Bronco.

What Accessories Are There for the Ford Bronco?

There is no word on what the 150 accessories will be, but we can take a guess. I have a bit of a theory to figure out what those parts would be. Jeep recently launched the Wrangler JPP 20 with accessories and parts installed right from the factory. Jeep offers so many optional accessories and packages for the Wrangler that it could confuse the buyers. That is the main reason why the JPP 20 was born in the first place, and common sense dictates that Jeep used the most popular accessories and perhaps, with the fattest margins. It wouldn’t be wrong to conclude that Ford will tear a page from this and see what sort of goodies off-road enthusiasts prefer the most. So, expect the 150 accessories to include:

-* Lift Kits

-* Tow Winches, Guard Hoops, and the likes

-* Off-Road LED Light Kits in Different Sizes

-* Theme-Based Decals and Graphics

-* Cargo Tray Kits

-* Soft Tops

-* Fender Flares (to accommodate bigger tires)

-* All-Weather Floor Mats

-* Leather Seats

Final Thoughts

Ford is expecting the Bronco to be one of the company’s top-sellers and that is visible from the efforts it's been making towards it. The Blue Oval wants to go all guns blazing with this one instead of testing the waters with a few trims initially before expanding later on. The fact that Ford will be introducing the full-size Bronco and Baby Bronco in two-door and four-door forms and basically all the permutations and combinations possible is a testimony to that. In fact, even a Bronco-based pickup is in the pipeline.

The Ford Bronco was scheduled for a spring launch and was expected to debut at the Detroit Auto Show, but it will show its face earlier than expected. A new report has surfaced saying that the Ford Bronco will actually debut in April 2020 at the New York Auto Show. Do you think the Bronco will be a runaway success? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.