October 18, 2023 marks the start of production for the 2024 model year Ford Maverick. The order bank opened on July 17, while scheduling kicked off August 24. Whereas the F-Series and Ranger are produced in the United States of America, the Maverick comes from Hermosillo in Mexico.
The Hermosillo Stamping and Assembly Plant currently boasts 2,870 employees tasked with producing the Maverick and Bronco Sport. Coincidentally, both are based on the C2 vehicle platform of the Escape. But rather curiously, the Escape for the US market is built in Kentucky.
Why didn’t the Ford Motor Company use its Louisville Assembly Plant for the Maverick and Bronco Sport as well? Simply put, labor is cheaper in Mexico. We also have to remember that the Maverick and Bronco Sport sell better than the Escape and technically similar Lincoln Corsair.
As per the Ford Motor Company’s Q3 2023 sales report for the US market, the Escape racked up 103,613 deliveries from January 2023 through September 2023. The Corsair ended the third quarter with 17,483 units year to date. As for the Maverick and Bronco Sport, the numbers are 66,430 and 96,375 in the first nine months of the year.
Attached below in portable document format, the order guide for the 2024 model year Ford Maverick lists the unibody truck with a few important changes. First and foremost, the 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder turbo is the standard powertrain. The Atkinson-cycle hybrid is optional for all three grades: the base XL, mid-range XLT, and Lariat.
Photo: Ford
As opposed to body-color mirror caps for 2023, the Lariat now comes with black-painted mirror caps. Azure Gray Metallic Tri-Coat and Terrain have joined the exterior paint color palette, whereas Carbonized Gray and Iconic Silver Metallic are now exclusive to fleets for the entry-level XL alone.
Area 51, Avalanche Gray, Alto Blue Metallic Tinted Clearcoat, and Cyber Orange Metallic Tri-Coat are no longer offered. Further deletions include the crossbed tool box and the manual rear sliding windows. The Tremor package now has a decal delete option, whereas the FX4 off-road package no longer requires the 4K (4,000 lbs / 1,814 kgs) tow package.
What else changed over the 2023 model year Ford Maverick? According to said order guide, the Lariat Luxury Package is now standard on the Lariat. The same can be said about the Ford Co-Pilot360 Assist Package, which includes rear parking sensors, evasive steering assist, plus adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go function and lane centering.
A hard drop-in bedliner is included with the XLT Luxury Package. Similarly, the Lariat Luxury Package now includes a spray-in bedliner. Last but certainly not least, the range-topping Lariat further flaunts a standard wireless phone charger, Lane Keeping System, and BLIS.
In regard to pricing, the Maverick still is America’s most affordable new truck at $23,400 (excluding the $1,595 destination fee). Be that as it may, it’s a tremendous difference from the $19,995 starting price of the Maverick for the 2022 model year.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News