NASHVILLE — Ford Motor Co. offers more than 150 accessories on the 2022 Maverick pickup, but the automaker is helping customers avoid buying some of them.
Ford, for example, demonstrates on YouTube how to build a bicycle rack with $45 worth of lumber and screws, in lieu of its dealerships’ $489 hitch-mounted, two-bike carrier from Thule. Another video provides instructions for an amateur light rack made from about $60 worth of supplies, even though Ford stores offer a $199 bed light kit from Lumen.
The company even directs owners to the videos via a QR code printed in the Maverick’s bed that they can scan with a smartphone.
The three videos that make up Ford’s “Hack Your Maverick” series — with more to come — might seem counterintuitive in a business that otherwise jumps at chances to boost revenue through aftermarket part sales. But Ford sees the do-it-yourself explainers as an opportunity to win over younger, budget-conscious buyers and build loyalty among Maverick owners who eventually will share their own customizations.
And it’s one of the reasons Ford’s chief marketing officer, Suzy Deering, says the Maverick could become the company’s next icon.
“It has the absolute potential to be the level of an F-150 or the level of a Mustang because it’s so connected in such a different way to the customer,” Deering told Automotive News during a media drive here. “When we’ve done well, we build vehicles and products that customers become extremely passionate about. Maverick 100 percent lives up to that. I think it’s on that path.”
Deering said the company took unique steps throughout the Maverick’s truncated product development process to give potential buyers greater input into and influence on the truck’s features, especially its highly adaptable “flexbed” and interior storage options.
“It is almost like we’ve crowdsourced a vehicle,” Deering said. “We always do research, but this research was different in that when we changed along the way, we weren’t just answering Ford’s needs but truly answered to the needs of our customer. If we do that right — you service the customer well and meet those needs — you get back on the value side. Will we still get accessory sales? Absolutely. But this gives them so much flexibility to meet their needs the way they want to.”
The Maverick’s 4.5-foot-long bed was designed with a number of notches and grooves to accommodate pieces of wood or other materials as dividers, false floors or DIY accessories such as the bike rack.
Ford said it based its research on people shopping at home improvement and furniture stores, as well as college students moving into dorm rooms.
There are also optional storage cubbies, power outlets and a tailgate position that allows the truck to carry larger sheets of plywood.
The customization possibilities continue inside. The automaker designed a tether system in the rear console that can fit 3D-printed parts such as cupholders.
Company officials said they hoped to inspire creativity among their customers and give them the opportunity to find tools or uses they didn’t think of.
“Hopefully they grow a connection to the vehicle,” said Jay Kistler, a vehicle engineering specialist. “The Maverick they buy is the platform to start out with, and we’ve provided some thought starters to make the truck their own.”
Deering expects big things from Ford’s small truck, which went on sale last month. With the Maverick serving as the company’s new entry-level product, in place of the cars the automaker has discontinued, Ford is banking on attracting a wide swath of customers — including those who have owned sedans, small crossovers and midsize pickups.
“When we exited the sedan business, we know we left some customers behind,” Deering said. “We feel like Maverick sits smack dab in that space that we just weren’t answering right now.”
She said certain products — including the F-150, Mustang and now Bronco — inspire passion among their owners that leads to clubs, online forums and a desire to buy merchandise such as T-shirts, hats or mugs. The company has an assortment of branded merchandise for its most popular vehicles, and Deering said she thinks the Maverick will soon be among them.
“When you think about being a maverick, that’s pretty cool,” Deering said. “Who wouldn’t want to walk around with a Maverick shirt?”