DEARBORN, MI – The Bronco is back.
Ford Motor Company introduced an all-new line of SUVs based on the classic brand from yesteryear. The reveal comes after the Detroit auto giant announced the news at the Detroit auto show in 2017 and reports began to surface in 2019.
The family of “Built Wild” SUVs includes a Bronco two-door, first-ever Bronco four-door model and all-new rugged, small SUV, the Bronco Sport – and will be the only domestic brand of SUVs with standard 4×4.
“Bronco gave rise to the fun and versatile off-road SUV in 1966, becoming the first enjoyable sport utility vehicle for those who wanted to live, work and play outdoors,” said Jim Farley, Ford chief operating officer in a statement. “Like the original, the all-new Bronco family is engineered to take you to epic places, with capability to deliver confidence on any type of terrain.”
Industry experts have speculated that the new brand is being developed as Ford’s competition to Jeep, one of the strongest and most recognized automotive brands in the world. Jeep has sold well over 800,000 vehicles for the past five years, and more than 900,000 in three of those years, according to the Associated Press.
The new Broncos features various features and accessories that are like what Jeep offers including an exclusive terrain management system and variant architectures with competitive levels of capability and suspension technology.
Ford has a long history in making SUVs. During WWII, the automaker was part of a government competition to build rugged carry-all utilities for GIs in the battlefield. Ford’s entry was called the GP, for General Purpose and more than 270,000 Ford GPs were built for Allied forces.
GIs returning home bought Army surplus GPs for work and play, but they were too small and uncomfortable for civilian life, according to Ford research from the early 1960s, so Ford developed the Bronco, which was nicknamed G.O.A.T. by fabled Ford product manager Donald Frey.
Ford dubbed the original 1966 Bronco “a completely new line of sports-utility vehicles” at its reveal on Aug. 11, 1965 – the first reference to “SUVs” from an American manufacturer, according to the company.
“Rugged vehicles are in our heritage and we see strong growth opportunities with this ever-more popular segment,” said Kumar Galhotra, Ford president, Americas and International Markets Group in a statement.
“The Bronco brand meets that need by creating a family of truly capable off-roaders to take our customers further into the wild. We’ve leveraged extensive off-road experience from vehicles like our F-150 Raptor to ensure that every Bronco delivers the ‘Built Wild’ toughness and durability our customers expect.”
Ford will unveil its all-new Bronco two-and four-door models, plus Bronco Sport across Disney network channels National Geographic, ESPN and ABC at 8 p.m. on July 13. Customers can reserve a new Bronco with a $100 refundable deposit.
Ford will unveil its all-new Bronco two-and four-door models, plus Bronco Sport across Disney network channels National Geographic, ESPN and ABC at 8 p.m. on July 13.Ford Motor Company
