Ford will no longer take new retail orders for the 2022 model year Maverick, a new report has revealed. Buyers will have to wait until this summer, when order banks for the 2023 model year open.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Ford notified its dealers that it was suspending customer orders. This summer, the company will resume taking orders for the plug-in hybrid truck. In an interview with the paper, a Ford executive confirmed the unusual move.
"We didn't want to take more orders than we could build," Dean Stoneley, general manager of Ford trucks, said in an interview. "We're getting customers who would have perhaps bought a used car and are now buying the Maverick because it is so affordable," he said.
However, because the halt only applies to "retail orders," government and business fleet buyers will be able to place orders after Thursday. Ford did not specify how many Maverick orders it has received so far.
Automakers have been having difficulty obtaining critical parts for automobiles, particularly computer chips, across the sector. Ford made no mention of any specific production concerns with the Maverick.
The most popular vehicles in the U.S. are huge trucks and SUVs, which are contributing to raise the average price. Many entry-level vehicles, notably low-cost sedans and smaller SUVs and crossovers, have been cut from automakers' lineups in response. The Maverick was an outlier: a low-cost small vehicle targeted towards the younger generation and city dwellers.
The Maverick went on sale this fall, becoming Ford's third pickup after the F-150 and mid-sized Ranger. Ford hadn't had a really tiny truck in its portfolio in nearly a decade prior to the Maverick. The original Ford Ranger was discontinued in 2012. Ford noted a lack of demand for small vehicles at the time. Furthermore, the old Ranger didn't share any engineering with other models, making it a more difficult business proposition for the automaker.
According to Ivan Drury, an expert with the automobile website Edmunds.com, the truck's low starting price appears to be a big draw. Mavericks have been selling for around $28,600 with options, which is significantly less than the average new vehicle price of $46,000.
The Maverick's low price - the base model starts at $20,000 - and gas-electric hybrid powertrain have made it a popular choice among American auto buyers looking for more affordable, environmentally responsible vehicles.
