By Moses Akaigwe
One of the major attractions at the 16th Lagos Motor Fair & Autoparts Expo Africa held recently in Victoria Island, Lagos, was the all-new Ford Bronco, a very confident-looking sport utility vehicle {SUV} that ceaselessly fascinated fair visitors at the Coscharis Motors’ stand.
The excitement reached a climax on Wednesday, June 1, when Coscharis Motors the motor fair platform to formally launch the all-new Bronco into the Nigerian market.
Introducing the vehicle at the ceremony, Abiona Babarinde, General Manager, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Coscharis Group, said, “The Bronco has come home to stay in Nigeria. Given the adventurous nature of our people and the challenging topography of some of our communities, the Bronco will soon become a must-have for everyone who can afford it.”
Babarinde further remarked, “The Bronco is engineered to deliver thrilling and confident off-road experience, building on the DNA of the original 1966 Bronco and its racing heritage. It gets even better with ingenious new updatable technologies and adventure-ready attributes created for today’s outdoor enthusiasts.”
The Bronco comes loaded with lots of off-road safety and comfort features and is engineered to take you to epic places, with capability to deliver confidence on any type of terrain.
Also speaking {on the features of the SUV}, Justin Ngini, Deputy General Manager, Ford Sales, Coscharis Motors stated, “The Bronco Wildtrak you are seeing today assures of value for money as it comes packed with a 2.7L Ecoboost Engine, and 10 speed Automatic Transmission.
“It also boasts 17 Inches Black Gloss-Painted Aluminium Wheels, Sound Deadening Headliner, 6 Speaker Sound System, SYNC4, Navigation System, Leather Trims, and many other, comfort and safety features to help you navigate through any kind of terrain your journey throws at you.”
Ngini assured that Coscharis Motors would deliver an exciting customer experience to any enthusiast who purchases a Bronco from the company, stating, “As the exclusive Ford dealers in Nigeria, our OEM-trained sales and aftersales teams are poised to delivering a world class customer experience to our Bronco, and by extension, all other Ford brand customers the country.
“We are easily accessible, with presence in the six geopolitical zones of the country. Coscharis also offer trade-in opportunities for customers who wish to exchange their old Ford vehicles for a new Bronco or any other Ford variant. We can also help to arrange finance options for interested customers who want to buy now and spread payment over a period of up to 5 years.”
The Bronco was not the only Ford brand on display at the motor fair. The Ranger (pick up), which 4×2 Single Cabin currently has a one million naira discount offering, and the Figo, a sedan car which is subject of N1million price slash for fleet purchase of a minimum five units, were also showcased. Other variants of Ford on display included Explorer and EcoSport.
About Ford Bronco
The Bronco is Ford’s all-new outdoor brand featuring ‘Built Wild’ 4×4 adventure vehicles. The all-new Bronco family includes a Bronco two-door, first-ever Bronco four-door model and all-new rugged, small SUV, Bronco Sport, which can all be ordered in Nigeria through Coscharis Motors.
Built Wild
For the Bronco brand and its all-new Bronco two-door, four door and Sport models to be superior 4×4 vehicles, the Bronco family delivers on these Built Wild principles for ultimate off-road performance:
Built Wild Extreme Durability Testing: These elevated Bronco torture tests ensure toughness across thousands of proving ground, test lab and extreme real-world challenges in the toughest and harshest environments
Built Wild Capability: Confidence to go over any terrain (G.O.A.T.) is provided by standard 4×4 and an exclusive drive mode system, plus unique Bronco-variant architectures with class-leading levels of capability and suspension technology
Built Wild Innovative Design: Bronco – the future of off-roading – delivers off-road ingenuity and new design innovations coupled with heritage-inspired DNA, plus new levels of personalization that can flatter the novice and challenge the expert adventure seeker
Ford’s off-road SUV expertise traces back to World War II, when the automaker was part of a government competition to build rugged carry-all utilities for GIs in the battlefield. Ford’s entry was called the GP, with the company building more than 270,000 of these “general purpose” vehicles for Allied forces. GIs returning home bought Army surplus GPs for work and play, but they were too small and uncomfortable for civilian life, according to Ford research from the early 1960s, so Ford developed a more refined, spacious, yet durable off-road vehicle to meet this need – Bronco.
The original Bronco was nicknamed G.O.A.T. by Donald Frey, the Ford president who championed both Mustang and Bronco nameplates and challenged engineering teams to deliver “go anywhere roadability.” An agile, sports-oriented off-road 4×4, Ford dubbed the original 1966 Bronco “a completely new line of sports-utility vehicles” at its reveal Aug. 11, 1965 – the first reference to “SUVs” from an American manufacturer.
Early Broncos had a rugged body-on-frame design with short front and rear overhangs, high ground clearance and a short wheelbase for maximum off-road capability. Bronco’s toughness and agility at high speed enabled racers like Rod Hall and Larry Minor to capture an overall win at the gruelling 1969 Baja 1000 – a victory no other production 4×4 has replicated in 50 years.