Some cars compete with each other because buyers often choose one or the other. Other vehicles compete with each other like they were best friends in grade school until the incident. It’s like there’s one spot left on the roster. Like there can be only one.
Take the Ford Bronco and the Jeep Wrangler, for instance.
They’re each boxy, American-made SUVs built for the trail more than the road. They sell themselves on their off-road prowess and rugged cool. A prolonged interruption suspended their rivalry, but the Bronco moved back to town in 2021, and it’s been elbows and hard glares in the lunch line ever since.
Ford is about to up the ante, according to CarsDirect. The site cites a “bulletin sent to dealers,” reporting that Ford is offering Jeep owners a $1,000 discount on the Bronco. It doesn’t have to be a Wrangler, but we know Ford would prefer it that way. You don’t even have to trade in your Jeep – Ford will give you the discount for parking a Bronco next to it in your driveway.
The incentive is also available on the Bronco Sport – a cheaper, lighter compact SUV more biased toward the road but still capable off-road.
Some Limitations
The Jeep, however, must be from 1995 or newer. The deal excludes the extreme Bronco Raptor.
It’s not available everywhere. CarsDirect says Ford dealers in the Chicago, New York, and Phoenix areas will offer the deal, while those in Atlanta and Dallas will offer $500.
So-called “conquest offers” used to be expected in the automotive industry, but they’ve grown rare in recent years. The supply of new cars shrank during the COVID-19 pandemic, creating a seller’s market where dealerships didn’t have to discount cars to sell them. But we’re seeing a return to incentives as inventories build up and dealers compete.
Kelley Blue Book analysts expect 2024 to bring a buyer’s market, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see more conquest incentives return. And, somehow, we’re not surprised this one came first.
