It appears Ford is willing to do just about anything except build the Bronco off-roader in right-hand drive, with a new report claiming luxury brand Lincoln will rebody the 4×4 to take on the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen and Land Rover Defender.
US outlet Autoweek reports insider sources have said Lincoln – famous for the Continental, but now exclusively selling SUVs – will launch a body-on-frame SUV before the end of the decade, most likely running on the underpinnings of the Ford Bronco.
Expected to marry the off-road capability of the Bronco with the Lincoln design language, specifically the Navigator, it’s understood it would be pitched as a rival to premium 4x4s on the market, and potentially replace the Lincoln Nautilus in the brand’s mid- to large-sized SUV lineup.
The T6 platform underpinning the Bronco has proven to be versatile, having first launched under the Ford Ranger, then later the Everest and Bronco.
Ford has had sales success with the Bronco since reviving the nameplate in 2020, becoming one of its most popular models in the US, and a core to its revived off-road performance brand strategy, becoming one of the few Raptor vehicles available.
Autoweek reports a new-generation Bronco is due for the 2031 model year, potentially meaning Lincoln’s off-roader will have to wait until the latest 4×4 platform is launched, or use the soon-to-be-superceded underpinnings of the popular Ford.
It’s worth noting too that in 2027, Ford is launching a next-generation EV platform in a mid-sized pickup, which will later be available across a wider range of body styles, with a move for the Bronco and other nameplates to electric not yet out of the question.
Unfortunately, we’re no closer to officially getting the Ranger-related Bronco in Australia, though the nameplate is expanding globally, with an electrified version currently on sale in China and another iteration soon expected to go on sale in Europe.
The Bronco name has also been linked to coming to Australia as one of these two latter models, despite the bulk of the engineering done to the full-size Bronco’s platform being done locally.
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