What Are Ford’s Mysterious New Upcoming Mavericks and Broncos?

Ford confirmed new “extensions of the brand” are en route for the Maverick and Bronco. Here’s what we think they are.

Published November 12, 2023

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Updated November 12, 2023

The Ford Bronco SUV and the Maverick small pickup are, along with the F-150 Lightning, Ford’s most important vehicle launches of this decade so far. But the brand is far from done with them: Ford just announced we’ll soon be getting some cool new versions of them. In Ford’s Q3 2023 earnings release, the brand noted that “new extensions” of the Bronco and Maverick were coming.

“Ford Blue is rolling out new derivatives of its iconic nameplates, which are hugely popular with customers and generate superior revenue and margins. They include the forthcoming Ranger Raptor pickup, Mustang GTD super-car and track variants, and new extensions of the Bronco and Maverick nameplates.”

The natural question is what those extensions — viewed on par with the Ranger Raptor and the Mustang GTD — will be. We don’t know what Ford has up its sleeve. But we can make some educated guesses.

Could a plug-in hybrid Bronco be coming soon?

Ford has already launched a wild new Bronco Raptor. And a crazy V8-powered Bronco DR already exists, too. If we had to guess what sort of new Bronco would be on the horizon soon, it would be a hybrid. Rumors and apparent leaks about a hybrid Bronco have persisted since it launched; besides, having one should be a competitive imperative, with the Bronco soon squaring off against the Wrangler 4xe PHEV and a potential hybrid 4Runner.

Ford also noted in the same Q3 release how popular its hybrids were, with the hybrid making up 57 percent of Maverick sales and F-150 hybrid sales being up 47 percent year over year. It would be weirder if Ford didn’t have a hybrid Bronco in the making.

And maybe a more powerful Maverick ST street truck?

Ford told Heatmap there isn’t a market case for a plug-in hybrid Maverick right now, and Ford has already launched a more off-road capable Tremor version. A Maverick that merged the hybrid engine with AWD would be a potential game-changer for the Maverick, but would not really extend the brand.

Muscle Cars & Trucks believes the new Maverick could be a more powerful street truck version. And Ford has been spotted testing what appears to be precisely that. Ford did apply for a U.S. trademark for “Maverick Thunder,” which could be a potential name.