Back in August, Ford Authority reported that the 2022 Ford Maverick would be launching in Brazil, joining Argentina as two South American countries set to receive the new compact pickup. At the time, the automaker said that the 2022 Ford Maverick would launch in both countries next year, but now, it has announced that the very first units have already arrived at the Port of Vitória in Espírito Santo.
However, these initial units – all of which are equipped with Lariat trim and the FX4 Off-Road Package – are merely being used “to support the actions that precede the launch,” according to Ford, while the actual Maverick launch is still planned for 2022. These pickups also reportedly tout features that are exclusive for the Brazilian market, though Ford hasn’t yet revealed what those features might be.
Like all Mavericks, the Brazilian version of the pickup is produced at the Ford Hermosillo Assembly Plant in Mexico and is one of a number of Blue Oval vehicles set to be imported into the South American country, a list that already includes the Ford Mustang, Ford Kuga (Escape), 2021 Ford Bronco Sport, 2021 Ford F-150, and F-150 Raptor. Meanwhile, Ford is investing $580 million in the Ford Pacheco Assembly Plant in Argentina to prepare it for the production of the next-generation 2023 Ford Ranger.
These moves come after Ford’s decision to end production at three of its Brazilian assembly plants after the automaker lost roughly $12 billion in South America over the last decade, a decision that will force it to pay 2.5 billion reais ($495 million USD) to the state of Bahia and discontinue production of the Troller T4.
In addition to these changes, Ford Brazil recently launched a digital car subscription service, extended its free FordPass Connect trial period to two years, offered free vehicle pickup and delivery through October, and launched Ford Pro – the new Ford Commercial Vehicle Services business.
We’ll have more on the Maverick soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Maverick news and 24/7 Ford news coverage.
Comment
There are thousands of people in North America that have the Maverick on order and are waiting for their VIN number, and Ford has already shipped some to South America? For Ford to get them there by boat, they must have been the first ones off the line.