Ford Bronco not coming in 2020

The Blue Oval whipped Bronco fans into a fizz in early 2017 when it officially announced it would reinvent the iconic Ford Bronco in 2020, confirming a union leak in late 2016.

Since then Ford has confirmed it will also produce a smaller ‘baby Bronco’ compact SUV — one of four new SUVs and trucks to come by 2020, including a new Escape and Explorer — images of which were apparently leaked from a dealer meeting in Las Vegas last month.

Now, however, Ford Australia boss Kay Hart has dashed the hopes of Bronco enthusiasts Down Under by revealing there is no plan to produce either Bronco model in right-hand drive.

“There’s nothing to announce. There are currently no plans in place for right-hand drive Bronco,” Hart told carsales.com.au at the launch of the new Focus hatch/wagon and Endura SUV on Friday.

Asked to clarify if that means Ford Australia has no plans to introduce either model here, Hart said: “Not currently”.

“Clearly it’s going to be a great vehicle, but we are extremely happy with the performance of Ranger here.

“That’s not to say we don’t continually look at other products within Ford, but Ranger is doing such a fantastic job here. We’re happy with the line-up as it stands, but that’s not to say we wouldn’t look to add to the range in future.”

The Ford Australia chief’s comments are consistent with statements she made in August, when Hart indicated the born-again Ford Bronco was no guarantee for local release because the Ranger – the Blue Oval’s top-selling model here – “really fills that space for us in Australia”.

The no RHD Bronco confirmation is particularly disappointing for Australians given it’s based on the same Aussie-developed T6 latter frame that underpins the locally-engineered Ranger and Everest.

Both models will be manufactured at the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne — the same plant that produced five generations of Broncos between 1966 and 1996 — and we understand several early prototypes were even built in Australia, where Ford even assembled Broncos with 4.1-litre straight-six and 5.8-litre V8 engines between 1981 and 1987.

Former Ford engineering chief Raj Nair said the Bronco will not simply be a rebadged version of the Everest, but a separate model in its own right with unique styling.

The news is also an apparent backflip on Ford’s 2017 announcement that the 2020 Bronco will be a ‘global’ model.

“We’ve heard our customers loud and clear. They want a new generation of vehicles that are incredibly capable yet fun to drive,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s president of The Americas in a press released titled ‘The rumours are true: the Ford Bronco is coming back!’

“Bronco will be a no-compromise midsize 4x4 utility for thrill seekers who want to venture way beyond the city.”

‘The rugged new Bronco will be a midsize SUV, and will be part of the global Ford vehicle portfolio in 2020’, said the Ford press release.

Hart also confirmed there are no RHD plans for the baby Bronco, which could revive Ford’s Maverick nameplate, but left the door slightly ajar for other additional SUV models in Australia, perhaps including the new 2020 Explorer.

“Not all vehicles are right-hand drive, but SUV is clearly a big market here, which means we’re always looking for opportunities in terms of SUVs,” said Hart.