2023 Ford Bronco buyers paid $US2500 to choose another car

Ford is paying a $US2500 cash incentive to get Bronco buyers in the US to switch to another model within the Ford line-up.

US car giant Ford has resorted to offering customers in the queue a $US2500 ($AU3550) cash incentive payment to try and clear some of the overflowing orders for its popular Bronco off-roader.

Ford of North America is offering the deal to Bronco buyers who switch their order to another Ford – or downgrade to a variant of the Bronco without some of the technology that is in short supply.

The incentive can’t be used to switch to a Ford Mustang Mach-E electric SUV – or the Ford F-150 Tremor and Ford F-150 Raptor pick-ups.

The Bronco is in high demand but short supply, prompting Ford to introduce what it calls the ‘Cancel Order And Purchase In-Stock Offer’, which was first reported by US website Carsdirect.com.

Ford has closed orders for the 2023 Bronco: “Due to high demand, the current model year [2023 Bronco] is no longer available for retail order. Limited inventory may be available at selected dealers,” says Ford’s website.

Under the Ford cash incentive program, anyone with a 2023 Bronco on order has four choices: cancel their order and use the incentive payment against another 2023 Ford model, try to find a ‘suitable Bronco’ at a dealership, switch their order to a 2024 Bronco, or cancel their order and get a refund of their deposit.

It’s not the first time Ford has had to compensate people on the Bronco waiting list.

In 2022 it provided ‘price protection’ of up to $US975 for buyers who had an unfilled order for a 2021 Bronco and, before that, there was a $US1000 payment that could be used, according to Carsdirect.com, for gifts including merchandise, servicing and a bottle of bourbon.

Part of the problem with current Bronco orders is some equipment is not available. Described by Ford as “constrained features”, hard-to-get items include the Sasquatch and Lux packages and the moulded hard top.

“Customers who remove constrained features are expected to receive a 2023 model year Bronco along with a $2500 rebate toward purchase or lease in addition to existing … price protection they may have,” Ford spokesperson, Mike Levine, told Caranddriver.com.

Despite the latest efforts to cut waiting times, the Ford Bronco backlog is unlikely to end soon. And for now there is currently no way to order a 2024 Bronco through the Ford website.

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