Ford’s 1996 decision to pull the plug on the Ford Bronco evoked mixed reactions from the public and auto enthusiasts. While several people assumed the car’s involvement in the O.J. Simpson chase as the primary reason behind the car’s discontinuation, senior Ford officials from that era have confirmed that the incident did not have anything to do with the eventual discontinuation.

In 2014, USA Today quoted Mark Schirmer — former communications manager at Ford — who revealed that long before the O.J. Simpson chase and its fallout, Ford had already decided to reduce its focus on two-door SUVs.

“We had decided to move away from the two-door, two-row, large SUV. It was already fading in customer popularity long before O.J. made it a celebrity,” Shirmer said.

In 1996, the American car market was moving towards larger cars — but with a focus on vehicles that had four doors and three rows of seats suited for large families. Following the Bronco’s discontinuation, its space was quickly filled by other models from Ford’s lineup— including the likes of the Ford Explorer and the Ford Expedition. 

In fact, Ford wasn’t the only automaker doing this in the mid to late 90s. This was around the same time General Motors discontinued the two-door Blazer and replaced it with the four-door Tahoe, and Toyota discontinued the two-door 4Runner in 1995.

As outlined earlier, Ford eventually brought back the Ford Bronco in 2021 when the car returned as a two and four-door midsize SUV. The car has been doing quite well since its comeback, with sales touching the 100,000 mark in 2022 and 2023.

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