New Ford Bronco reveal likely postponed due to coronavirus

It looks like we’ll need to wait a little longer to see the 2021 Ford Bronco. The automaker has confirmed to Roadshow that upcoming preview events surrounding the SUV have been canceled owing to COVID-19.

Ford had planned to host media for a preview event surrounding the Bronco next week, but issued a statement via email on Friday saying, “we’ve made the decision to cancel our event due to ongoing coronavirus concerns.”

Leaked images of the Jeep Wrangler competitor dribbled out this week, fueling further excitement for the hard-core SUV.

Ford is telling Roadshow to stay tuned for new information about the Bronco’s debut in the meantime. Whether the reveal moves to a digital platform or the automaker reschedules things altogether remains to be seen.

With the confirmation of the Bronco’s postponement, Ford also notified employees on Friday that all non-business-critical roles will move to remote work. The decision impacts the automaker’s global workforce and all positions will move to a remote scenario until further notice.

“Thankfully, the effect of the coronavirus on Ford employees so far has been very limited,” Ford said. “In recent days, though, we concluded the issue has taken on a different dimension and are continuing to act in real time to keep our people safe and help limit the spread of the virus in communities where we live and work.” Ford previously said it restricted international and domestic employee travel after two workers in China contracted COVID-19. The two employees were based in China and have since recovered.

The novel coronavirus has quickly put numerous events, gatherings and other areas of typical daily life on hold. Geneva Motor Show organizers canceled the event earlier this month and organizers of the New York Auto Show already confirmed it will postpone the show until August. That leaves the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, as the first major auto show of the year as its stands.

The show, typically a staple in January, moved to June for 2020 as part of a rebranding effort announced last year. Now, the Detroit-based event could become even larger, though it will largely depend on the coronavirus situation in the months ahead.

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