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Believe It Or Not, Ford Delays 2021 Bronco Reveal Over O.J. Simpson's Birthday

Someone at the Ford Motor Company appears to have made a mistake. Putting the grand reveal of the Bronco on July 9th didn't pose a problem at first glance, but the date coincides with O.J. Simpson’s birthday.
Ford Delays 2021 Bronco Reveal Over O.J. Simpson's Birthday 37 photos
Photo: Ford on Twitter
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Social media – from Twitter to Reddit – has noticed this coincidence, but was it really a coincidence? "We are sensitive and respectful to some concerns raised previously about the date, which was purely coincidental,” reads a tweet that confirms the new date of unveiling - July 13th.

The former sportsman was suspected of murdering Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman in 1994, and O.J. did not turn himself in. A low-speed pursuit involving him, Al Cowlings, and a white SUV was broadcast live on television, interrupting the NBA Finals and drawing 95 million people in front of their TVs to watch the charade. When all is said and done, the Bronco has never been the same because of O.J. and the chase at the end of this story.

The following year in October, an estimated 100 million people tuned in for the verdict announcement. As we all know, "the Juice” hasn't been found guilty for the two murders. Fast-forward to 1997, and a civil lawsuit filed against Simpson found him responsible for both deaths. Right, let's move back to the Bronco.

As announced by a Ford employee, the order books for the mid-size SUV will open in December while deliveries are estimated for April 2021. The Bronco Sport can be ordered from July according to Matt Coleman, and U.S. deliveries will kick off in November. As a brief refresher, neither off-roader will be imported to the Old Continent through official channels by Ford.

This is a particularly strange decision given the increasing demand for crossovers and SUVs in Europe, but it’s also worth highlighting that the EU has always been a tough market. Ford lost $1.7 billion in the fourth quarter of 2019 because of a restructuring plan, and that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

The Dearborn-based automaker has axed the Ka+ entry-level hatchback, and the Edge mid-size crossover is on the chopping block as well. All told, Ford is in the process of closing some factories in Europe, eliminating 20 percent of the workforce by the end of 2020 according to a statement from June 2019.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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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.
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