It's a Bronco, Jim—But Not As We Know It!*
- Adam Bernard
- Jul 16
- 1 min read
Updated: Jul 22
Frankly, I don't think anyone saw this coming.
At first glance, it looks like a Bronco Sport, but quite a bit larger, with an externally-mounted spare tire, and... flush door handles? As it turns out, Ford has decided to leverage an iconic nameplate for a new entry developed with a Chinese partner (JAC): the somewhat unimaginatively-named Bronco New Energy.
The details are intriguing:
Bigger (about 8" longer and slightly wider) than America's body-on-frame Bronco, but on a unibody platform
Driven by either a 271hp EV or 241hp 1.5L EREV powertrain; the EV gets 404mi on the CLTC cycle, which would work out to an impressive 300mi or so on the US EPA cycle
LiDAR-support driver assist technology
It's no secret that Chinese automakers have been expanding their SUV portfolios, including a number of new entries with a much stronger offroad focus, and Ford's decision to leverage the Bronco nameplate for China seems like a smart move. While I doubt this can match the offroad capability of America's Bronco, one might wonder--with the impending arrival of the Jeep Recon and Scout Terra--whether a vehicle like this could fit into Ford's US portfolio.
* Fun fact: Although this sounds like I'm paraphrasing an old quote from "Star Trek", I've just learned the original phrase was never uttered on the show...
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