Why A New Ford Bronco Makes Sense

Rumors are abound that Ford will bring back the Ranger and Bronco nameplates.

2018 marks the year that production ends for the Ford Focus and C-Max as those cars find factory homes elsewhere. In the meantime, according to all sorts of reports and rumors hitting the web earlier today ( Aug. 26, 2015) it looks like Ford may be considering dusting off some storied icons that its had in its arsenal for quite some time, the Ford Ranger and Bronco. Reviving the Ford Ranger platform and repurposing it for the US Market should be a piece of cake as its never really gone out of production (it continued to sell in overseas markets albeit under a different platform. We’ve provided a shot of what the current Ranger looks like below.) But bringing back the Ford Bronco would be a smart move that would bring in plenty of sales. Known for being simple, powerful and rugged with plenty of examples still putting around, the Bronco remains a solid product that Ford should definitely exploit.

2015.8.26 Brronco 5 /

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A cursory search throughout the internet will bring up countless numbers of examples of owners who’ve inherited a Bronco from a either a loved one or they’ve had a fascination with the Wrangler alternative that they sourced one out for themselves. With 30 years of production, there are literally thousands soldiering on. It’s unofficially the production model that Ford should point to when they say, “Built Ford Tough” as it was one of Ford’s most capable off-road vehicles ever made. Suffice to say, the Bronco name sits well with Ford’s rugged SUV demographic.

Small compact SUV’s and crossovers are all the rage right now. Mazda’s got it’s CX-5, there’s the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, Jeep Cherokee and Wrangler and the list goes on and on. But the only one with serious off-road chops is the Wrangler. It would behoove Ford to give the Wrangler a run for its money. Since it would be rumored to use running gear and engine options from the Ford Ranger, we could assume that Ford would stuff its 3.2 Liter Diesel Power Stroke or the V6 EcoBoost under the hood. We think it would be a great spiritual successor to the Windsor V8.

But what has Ford officially said? Thanks to our motoring friends at Jalopnik, there’s this official statement.

"We will move production of the next-generation Ford Focus and C-MAX, which currently are built at Michigan Assembly Plant, beginning in 2018. We actively are pursuing future vehicle alternatives to produce at Michigan Assembly and will discuss this issue with UAW leadership as part of the upcoming negotiations.”"

Technically Ford hasn’t even uttered the word Bronco, but we’re assuming that Ford Ranger was included in “Future vehicles” and a logical jumping point would be to the Bronco. Ford has had Bronco on the brain for quite some time. Remember when they unveiled this concept at the 2004 NY Auto Show? We sure do.

2015.8.26 Bronco 3 /

Ford Bronco Concept. /

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