Ford unveils radical plan to sell cars like limited-edition Nikes

Forget settling for a factory-standard vehicle – buying a new car could soon be more like getting your hands on a customizable pair of limited-edition Nike sneakers. 

Ford has unveiled a bold new strategy to cash in on Americans’ growing appeтιтe for customization by launching exclusive, factory-backed vehicle ‘drops’ – kicking things off with a striking Barbie-pink-inspired Bronco that costs more than $57,000.

The automaker says it plans to dramatically expand its customization business, offering everything from performance upgrades and premium interiors to eye-catching wraps and limited-edition styling packages as it targets a bigger slice of the booming $53 billion US aftermarket industry.

Rather than simply selling customers a vehicle, Ford wants buyers to personalize them before they even leave the dealership – and finance those upgrades as part of their monthly payments.

Matt Simpson, executive director of Ford Customization, compared the strategy to the hype surrounding limited-edition sneaker launches.

‘Think like a ‘Nike dropping a sneaker’ is the vision,’ Simpson told CNBC. ‘We’re significantly increasing our investment in this group to bring more choice and to engage customers in this aftersales.’

The first ‘vehicle drop’ under the new strategy was unveiled on Monday in the form of the Bronco Desert Rising package – a bold magenta-accented SUV inspired by Utah’s colorful landscapes, including the Great Salt Lake and Coral Pink Sand Dunes.

Although social media users have already likened it to something straight out of a Barbie movie, Ford insists the design wasn’t inspired by the famous Mattel doll.

Ford has unveiled a bold new strategy to cash in on Americans’ growing appeтιтe for customization by launching exclusive, factory-backed vehicle ‘drops’ – kicking things off with a striking Barbie-pink-inspired Bronco that costs more than $57,000

Instead, senior designer Bhavna Mistry said the team looked to the dramatic berry-colored hues that appear across the desert at sunrise and sunset.

‘The whole place transforms into amazing tones of berry,’ Mistry said. ‘It’s like a reward at the end of it.’

The customization package adds $13,695 to the price of a Bronco Outer Banks model, taking the total cost to around $57,350.

Only 1,000 Desert Rising Broncos will be built, making it the first in Ford Custom Garage’s new Horizon Series of limited-edition, destination-inspired vehicles.

The SUV features a painted magenta grille, white wheels, matching Bronco badging and optional pink graphics inspired by Utah’s lakes, dunes and desert horizon.

Inside, buyers get two-tone black and magenta Katzkin leather seats, matching trim, colorful grab handles and a serialized center-console badge marking each vehicle’s limited-edition status.

Customers who prefer something less dramatic can skip the exterior graphics while still opting for many of the other design features.

The Bronco is only the beginning.

The automaker says it plans to dramatically expand its customization business, offering everything from performance upgrades and premium interiors to eye-catching wraps and limited-edition styling packages

The customization package adds $13,695 to the price of a Bronco Outer Banks model, taking the total cost to around $57,350

Ford’s growing Custom Garage already offers personalization packages costing thousands of dollars, including Mustang performance upgrades priced between $16,000 and $18,000 and an F-150 performance package costing almost $27,000.

‘It is a growth lever for us. It’s been a good business for us. We think it can be significantly bigger, hence the investment,’ Simpson said.

The company says 46 percent of its US buyers already customize their vehicles in some way, with Bronco owners leading the trend, followed by Mustang drivers and pickup truck buyers.

Simpson said Ford isn’t just hoping more customers will buy accessories – it also wants them to spend more when they do.

‘The more that someone spends on accessories with us, the higher the loyalty is,’ he said.

Ford believes its current lineup is perfectly suited to the growing demand for personalization.

‘We’ve never had a Ford showroom as prime for this as we have today,’ Simpson said. ‘Bronco, the Mustang, Maverick, the F-Series, this is the most pᴀssionate lineup of vehicles that Ford has ever had.’

The company is also betting buyers will be willing to pay more because factory-installed accessories remain covered under the vehicle’s standard warranty – something many third-party aftermarket modifications cannot offer.

Ford’s growing Custom Garage already offers personalization packages costing thousands of dollars

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Unlike modifications fitted after purchase, Ford’s Custom Garage packages can also be rolled into a customer’s finance or lease payments.

‘Even with declining sales and unaffordability squeeze, a lot of these accessories, especially the kind of basic, like I want to protect my vehicle, that’s margin for the dealer to add in,’ Simpson said.

The push comes as modern vehicles become increasingly difficult for independent repair shops and owners to modify because of their growing technological complexity.

Ford has identified customization, software and vehicle services as a key area for future growth, saying it wants to increase its $15 billion high-margin software and physical services business by around eight percent annually through the end of the decade.

The company’s renewed focus on personalization also follows criticism aimed at CEO Jim Farley after President Donald Trump claimed Ford and General Motors supported legislation that would make it harder for owners to repair their own vehicles.

Farley later clarified that he believes customers should avoid working on vehicles still covered by warranty because modern cars require specialist tools.

For now, Ford is betting drivers don’t just want transportation – they want something unique.

And if the Bronco Desert Rising is anything to go by, future vehicle launches may owe as much to sneaker culture as they do to traditional car dealerships.