Ford Working on a Bronco-Based Pickup Truck: Report
Early test mules for the Ford Bronco and Baby Bronco/Bronco Scout small off-road SUV have taken on the unique shape of a pickup truck, which may turn out to be quite the prophetic choice. According to AutoForecast Solutions, Ford is poised to launch a Bronco-based pickup truck by 2024 in order to compete with the recently launched Jeep Gladiator.
According to Automotive News, AutoForecast Solutions VP of Global Vehicle Forecasting Sam Fiorani says that the Bronco pickup would be a “low-volume, niche product” that would likely start at a higher price tag thanks to the baked-in brand cache of the name.
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This would fall in line with a report from last year that Ford plans to spin the Bronco name out into its own sub-brand, resulting in a variety of off-road capable vehicles. Given the 2020 launch window for the Bronco and Bronco Scout, the 2024 production start would put the Bronco pickup somewhere near the mid-cycle refresh. Ford CEO Jim Hackett has also confirmed a Bronco Hybrid, but it is not known whether that powertrain option will be available at launch or later.
The Bronco-based pickup launching that much later than its SUV kin can be attributed to the likelihood that Ford’s truck lineup will be expanding considerably within the next two to three years. Ford is expected to launch a unibody compact pickup by 2021 and begins production on the Ford F-150 Hybrid next year.
A source tells Automobile that Ford is also likely to launch the next-generation Ranger Raptor within the next few years, which would also be an off-road-friendly option that could potentially cannibalize Bronco pickup sales, logically necessitating a gap between their debuts. Automobile speculates that Ford will also make Raptor variants of the Bronco and the Bronco-based pickup for maximum truuuuuuuck and maximum ruuuuuuugged SUV.
Little is known for certain about the Bronco, though it is widely assumed that it will be offered in two- and four-door body styles and with a detachable roof and doors.
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News Sources: Automotive News (subscription required), Automobile
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