Ford Bronco to finally bow in March, report says

Everyone, the Ford Bronco is nearly here. After years of rumors, speculation and numerous patent filings, Ford dealerships are reporting that after a meeting at the annual National Automobile Dealers Association gathering in Las Vegas that the Blue Oval is prepping its hotly awaited SUV for a March reveal.

Automotive News first reported the information, with Ford dealers citing executive comments during the meeting. The reveal will reportedly include both two-door and four-door models, though the Bronco allegedly won’t go on sale until 2021. 

Ford reiterated in a statement that the Bronco will debut this spring and did not confirm the alleged March reveal.

Meanwhile, the model that we’ve called the “Baby Bronco” so far, will also debut this year, and not far behind the larger Bronco. The original report said the “Bronco Sport” will come in April, possibly at the New York International Auto Show. Ford told Roadshow, “we’ll have more news to share later this year about our all-new, small rugged yet-to-be named SUV.”

The Bronco Sport crossover is expected to go on sale this year and stand as a more rugged alternative to the very car-like Escape, a model with which it will share its underlying chassis. The regular Bronco, however, will be the real off-road deal, based on the Ranger’s pickup’s body-on-frame architecture.

Ford has kept the traditional Bronco a closely guarded secret since it first confirmed the SUV would make a return back in 2017. However, rumors point to a 2.3-liter turbo-four as a base engine, and we know Ford has a hybrid version planned, too. What other powerplants may sit under the hood, we don’t know, but there’s the possibility of a seven-speed manual transmission.

We do expect a removable roof and doors, as this new report also cites as confirmed, and a blocky retro design is all but assured. Ford previously teased the production Bronco with the Bronco R race SUV, which competed at the Baja 1000 last year. The greenhouse and other elements appeared as a direct link to the production SUV.

Originally published Feb. 17.
Update, Feb. 18: Adds Ford statement.

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