GM Not Interested In Building A Gas Ford Bronco Rival, But An Electric One Might Happen

Feb. 14, 2023 7:22 AM ET by Gerhard Horn Off-Road / 12 Comments

General Motors would only be late to the party if it built an extreme ICE off-roader.

General Motors has no plans to build a rival to the highly successful Ford Bronco. GM's President, Mark Reuss, answered bluntly when he spoke to The Drive in a recent interview.

"I'm not gonna do a Bronco," said Reuss. Despite the Bronco being a smash hit and stealing sales away from the Jeep Wrangler, GM does not want a slice of the body-on-frame hardcore off-roader pie.

Reuss provided two reasons why he has no intentions of going Bronco hunting. The first is timing. GM could use the Colorado's ladder frame chassis and engine, but developing the rest of the vehicle would take a minimum of two to three years. By the time it arrived, GM would be too late to the party, which is not a strategy that always pays off.

Ford

The second reason is emissions. General Motors will soon have a broad range of EVs, covering all important segments. The Equinox EV will cater to the entry-level market, while the Blazer EV will cater for the middle class. GM's electric pickup truck duo will cover the growing electric pickup segment, and the Cadillac Celestiq will take the battle to Rolls-Royce. It's safe to say that GM is all-in regarding electric mobility.

Apart from going against GM's apparent EV-friendly stance, an all-new ICE vehicle built with no regard for favorable fuel economy would bring down the company's average fuel economy (CAFE) ratings.

According to Reuss, Ford has to sell the Maverick as a hybrid to bring its average fuel consumption down. The NHTSA is already tough on gas guzzlers, and the regulations will only get stricter.

CarBuzz

Chevrolet

Cadillac

Reuss is not against building a Bronco-like electric vehicle, however. There is no Bronco-like EV available anywhere just yet, but there are several on the horizon. VW will launch the Scout off-road EV brand, and Jeep will soon launch the Recon EV. Don't rule out a future Bronco Lightning from Ford, and Ineos is hard at work on an electric off-roader.

A report from October 2022 suggests that GMC is working on a smaller Hummer EV, which is likely why Reuss is not opposed to the idea.

Using the Hummer name makes sense considering the historical significance of all the names getting in on this new segment. Since GM decided to use the famous Blazer nomenclature on an EV, Hummer is all it has left.