The battle among Detroit’s brands to attract off-road enthusiasts really centers on Jeep and Ford. Since the Bronco was reintroduced in 2021 after a 25-year absence, it has been scratching and clawing to outsell the Jeep Wrangler, which has been building a rabid following since its 1986 introduction, 10 years before the old Bronco went away.
That finally happened in the second quarter of 2026, as Ford delivered 45,739 Broncos to Jeep’s 41,793 Wranglers, through the end of June. That alone is cause for celebration in Dearborn, but this week Ford executives talked more broadly about how well the brand’s “passion products,” beyond the Bronco, are resonating with off-road enthusiasts.
2026 ford bronco badlands wildtrakFord Motor Company
Can This Momentum Be Sustained?
During Ford’s latest financial report, CEO Jim Farley said the automaker is seeing momentum with this audience, and that 25% of second-quarter sales were tied to off-road vehicles or trim levels.
“We made a huge bet on Bronco, Tremor, and Raptor, and it has paid off with higher growth and higher margins.”
Farley said these vehicles are bringing new customers to Ford. “They’re younger, more affluent, and more geographically diverse. And we are investing to grow our leadership in this space. Stay tuned.”
A financial analyst asked what’s driving Ford’s increased mix in off-road sales, and how long the automaker can sustain the momentum.
Relaxed Emissions Regs = More V8s
The 2024 Ford F-150 Tremor is a highly capable 4WD truck.Ford
Andrew Frick, president of the Ford Blue and Ford Model e [sic] divisions, attributed the growth to better brand positioning, “as well as some of the regulatory environment changes that help us match customer demand.” With the Trump administration relaxing emissions standards earlier this year, Ford is able to sell more profitable vehicles like high-trim Bronco variants, the capable Ranger Raptor, and F-150 Tremor without worrying about costly compliance credits.
Frick said Ford has grown its off-road mix by more than 3.5 points in the first half, year over year, and that Tremor trim has grown to 15% of Expedition sales, while Raptor variants are strong across the portfolio, having grown 9% so far this year. The momentum is sustainable, and that includes selling more V8s, he said.
“We expect that level of product mix and series mix to continue through the balance of the year.”
–Andrew Frick, President of Ford Blue
On the money front, the off-roaders contributed much to Ford’s second-quarter adjusted earnings of $2.5 billion, up 17 percent. “These results demonstrated that our focus on off-road vehicles and passion products is resonating,” CFO Sherry House said. “We had record sales for the Bronco family in Q2, and our three-row adventure utilities are growing, with Explorer and Expedition retail sales up 22 percent in the quarter.”
Escape Gone, But New Hybrids Are Promised
Ford Maverick hybridJared Rosenholz / CarBuzz / Valnet
Beyond the off-roaders, Farley said Ford wants to grow in the hybrid space as the Maverick Hybrid achieved record sales in the first half to become America’s best-selling hybrid pickup. “We plan to extend our hybrids across our entire lineup for the next several years,” Farley said. This will come, however, after Ford recently discontinued two hybrid versions of the Escape, one of them a plug-in, when Escape production ended in December in Kentucky.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
Ford and Jeep will continue their battle for the hearts and minds of off-road enthusiasts across the land, but wouldn’t it be great if General Motors joined the fray by greenlighting a new GMC Jimmy? Surely the GMC dealers would like a new product in their showrooms, one that would expand the GMC brand demographic exponentially. But for now, it’s Ford that’s making strides in the dirt, the mud, the sand, the woods, and on unforgiving rock. Clearly, there’s money to be made here.
Base Trim Engine
EcoBoost 2.3L ICE
Base Trim Transmission
10-speed automatic
Base Trim Drivetrain
Four-Wheel Drive
Base Trim Horsepower
275 HP @5700 RPM
Base Trim Torque
315 lb.-ft. @ 3400 RPM
Infotainment & Features
8 /10
