Ford Motor Co. will temporarily stop accepting orders on its all-new 2022 Maverick compact pickup truck — both hybrid and gasoline versions — until summer, the automaker confirmed Monday.
Ford told dealers in a letter emailed Monday that orders for a gas-powered Maverick will be accepted through Thursday at close of business.
Ford hit pause on hybrid truck orders in December, which the Free Press tweeted Jan. 10.
This latest decision is an effort to avoid potential customer disappointment related to potential delivery delay, Ford spokesperson Said Deep told the Free Press.
"The plant builds Bronco Sport and Maverick and it's running full steam," Deep said. "We're trying to manage customer expectations on timing."
The company will open up its order process for both hybrid and gas-powered Maverick pickups mid-summer, he said.
The vehicle was revealed in June and consumers responded immediately to the award-winning pickup that starts at $20,000 and gets 42 mpg in the city.
The company saw reservations surge to 100,000 in August, mostly from California, Texas and Florida — specifically Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston and Orlando.
"We've seen incredible demand by consumers for the Maverick," car dealer Thad Szott said Monday. "Every month since the Maverick came out, we dealers get 'allocation.' At Szott Ford in Holly (Michigan) we have had so much demand that every allocation we received had a customer, meaning we sold every one and had a list of people interested."
As a result of the overwhelming demand, Ford took back Mavericks given to its executives and sent them to a handful of dealers to sell, Szott said.
"It wasn't a lot, but Szott Ford received one," he told the Free Press. "As soon as we got word that we were receiving one, we went to our list and presold it in 10 minutes. When we found out that it was going to arrive, the customer that purchased it came to the dealership and waited for the transportation truck to show up with it. They immediately signed and took it home."
Ford confirmed that the company did ask its executives to turn in their leased Mavericks so that they could be sold to eager customers.
Two words sum up the Maverick demand, Szott said: "Wild times!"
His auto group also sells Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Toyota vehicles.
Meanwhile, many dealers will have Maverick pickups in their showrooms for sale, and dealers can call around to other dealers and try to find the color and special features that buyers are seeking, Deep said.
But for the buyers who want to special order, and that group is significant, "a good dealer will take your name and number and call you back," he said.
The new orders placed this summer will be for 2023 Mavericks, Deep said.
This isn't the first time Ford has had to stop its order process to manage an overwhelming response. In December, Ford stopped taking reservations for its all-electric F-150 Lightning.
Ford has seen strong demand and long waits for the Mustang Mach-E and Ford Bronco as consumers scramble to get these award-winning vehicles during a pandemic, when vehicle production has been slowed globally and prices are spiking.
The Maverick, Bronco Sport and Mach-E are assembled in Mexico. The all-electric F-150 is assembled in Dearborn, Michigan. The full-size Bronco is built at the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne.
