Photo: The Maverick Truck Club
We live in the era of 5G networks, and as you’re well aware, everyone has a smartphone in their pocket and a data plan. This translates to photos getting on the Internet at the tap of the touchscreen, and this poses a problem for automakers. Ford, for instance, has recently sent a memo to original equipment manufacturers over a series of leaked photographs.
The Dearborn-based automaker is mad about the Bronco, Bronco Sport, and Maverick unibody pickup truck getting exposed before the convened time, which is colloquially known as a leak. According to Automotive News, Ford singled out Tier 1 suppliers in a leaked memo without giving any names.
The Blue Oval has also made threats in the guise of “business repercussions and even recovery actions,” which is kind of curious when you think about it. An original equipment manufacturer shouldn’t be held accountable for an employee’s leak, and if there’s any stipulation between the automaker and Tier 1 supplier in this regard, the employee should be held accountable.
On that note, what can we learn from this memo? As far as the Maverick is concerned, the document acquired by Automotive News confirms that Ford is trying to eat into Honda’s share of the market, breathing new life into a segment that has been the Ridgeline’s alone for one too many years.
Based on the unibody vehicle architecture of the Bronco Sport and Escape compact crossovers, the brand-new Maverick will slot under the Ranger as a cross truck of sorts thanks to a small bed and jacked-up ride height. The massive grille and similarly impressive headlights give the newcomer a little more road presence than Honda’s Ridgeline, which is hopefully enough to convince prospective customers to give the Maverick a second look.
Ford, however, is taking a gamble with the Maverick because Honda sold 32,168 examples of the Ridgeline last year in the United States. The worst-case scenario for the cross-bred truck would be to eat into the body-on-frame Ranger, which sold 17.88 percent fewer units in 2020 compared to 2019.
The Blue Oval has also made threats in the guise of “business repercussions and even recovery actions,” which is kind of curious when you think about it. An original equipment manufacturer shouldn’t be held accountable for an employee’s leak, and if there’s any stipulation between the automaker and Tier 1 supplier in this regard, the employee should be held accountable.
On that note, what can we learn from this memo? As far as the Maverick is concerned, the document acquired by Automotive News confirms that Ford is trying to eat into Honda’s share of the market, breathing new life into a segment that has been the Ridgeline’s alone for one too many years.
Based on the unibody vehicle architecture of the Bronco Sport and Escape compact crossovers, the brand-new Maverick will slot under the Ranger as a cross truck of sorts thanks to a small bed and jacked-up ride height. The massive grille and similarly impressive headlights give the newcomer a little more road presence than Honda’s Ridgeline, which is hopefully enough to convince prospective customers to give the Maverick a second look.
Ford, however, is taking a gamble with the Maverick because Honda sold 32,168 examples of the Ridgeline last year in the United States. The worst-case scenario for the cross-bred truck would be to eat into the body-on-frame Ranger, which sold 17.88 percent fewer units in 2020 compared to 2019.
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