Ford Plans Bronco-Based Pickup Truck to Rival Jeep Gladiator

Ford's own CEO has acknowledged that abandoning cars was a mistake, and the Escape's discontinuation leaves the brand thin on affordable SUVs — so the reported answer is yet another truck, this one riding Bronco underpinnings to target the Gladiator's niche. That's a telling strategic choice: rather than filling the SUV gap directly, Ford is doubling down on the body-on-frame, off-road-capable segment where it sees clearer demand and margin. A Bronco pickup makes product-line sense on paper — the Bronco nameplate carries genuine off-road credibility — but it also signals that Ford's path back to volume runs through trucks, not a rethink of its passenger car exit. Whether a Gladiator rival can compensate for the broader affordable-vehicle void is the question the article leaves open.