After a long and suspenseful build-up, we can finally place orders for the new Ford Maverick pickup truck. The 2022 Maverick is a sub-$20 hybrid pickup truck that can deliver up to 40 mpg and promises to be a great sales success for Ford, and judging by the number of orders the company has received only a week after its reveal, things are looking really good.
Ford has just announced that reservations for its new Maverick have totaled 36,000 units in the first week which goes to show that Americans still love their pickup trucks, despite world pandemics, and a tough economic climate. This figure also dispels the idea that the US market would not be interested in a smaller truck, not to mention the fact that it has a hybrid powertrain.
Ford's new hybrid truck can be secured with a deposit of only $100, but reservations do not necessarily translate into sales, as we've seen with the new Ford Bronco which has just entered production. The Bronco managed to secure 190,000 reservations, but only converted 125,000 of those into orders. The Ford F-150 Lightning is another truck that did well after release by securing over 100,000 orders. Their numbers all look good on paper, but as we've seen in recent months, manufacturers are struggling to fill orders due to numerous factors, including the international chip shortage, which has seen prices for popular models such as the Ford F-150 creep to nearly 15 percent over MSRP in some areas.
The Ford Maverick does represent excellent value for money: with a starting price of under $20k, the Maverick offers truck practicality for compact car money. The Maverick comes with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder and electric motor that produces 191 horsepower and 155 lb-ft, mated to a CVT transmission. That's good for an estimated 40 mpg in the city and a total range of 500 miles. Towing capacity is set at 2,000 pounds and payload capacity at 1,500 lbs. For the power-hungry, Ford also offers a 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine, producing 250 hp and 277 lb-ft which is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Ford is definitely moving in the right direction, and customers are clearly being receptive to its new products.