Ford appears to have had a change of mind about the Bronco for Australia, with at least one right-hand-drive (RHD) prototype spotted undergoing testing in Melbourne last month.
Observed up close by one of our reliable sources, the vehicle in question was clearly and unmistakably confirmed to have had the steering wheel where no current U725-series Bronco’s wheel has ever been seen before – on the right side of the off-road-ready SUV’s dashboard.
But the real clincher is the fact that the front end on this particular prototype had been destroyed on purpose – yep, a RHD Bronco has already been crash-tested in this country.
This reignites hopes that Ford has finally come to its senses by offering Australian buyers the sort of SUV they want – if Toyota Prado and LandCruiser 70 Series demand is anything to go by.
Reaching out to Ford Australia for comment on this startling revelation, the response was characteristically predictable.
“We do not comment on future products,” a spokesperson said. “As you know, there has been a lot of input by Ford’s Australian engineers in the Bronco as it is based on the T6 architecture developed in Australia… and this is an ongoing process.
“Australia does a lot of testing for vehicles not sold in this country.”
That T6 connection, which of course refers to the Ranger and Everest among other vehicles, means that the platform is ready for RHD. That said, we also understand that the Bronco has many unique components that would require extensive modification in order to serve in a RHD vehicle. Hence the further crash-testing.
The crashed prototype development raises some interesting questions.
For starters, if the RHD Bronco does transpire for Australia, would it be for the mooted facelift expected in 2025 or so, or is there a chance we could see it sooner?
One of the downsides of spotting a crash-tested prototype with the front end smashed in is that was impossible to tell whether it has a new nose. Our source was unable to confirm any visual differences between that vehicle and the existing Bronco that has been on sale in North America and elsewhere since 2021.
Would an Australian-bound Bronco be sourced from the Wayne, Michigan assembly plant in the United States that also builds the North American version of the just-unveiled T6.2 Ranger over there?
Or are plans afoot to manufacture the Bronco or a successor in other plants around the Ford world, since there is a likelihood that future versions will go global after the sales success of the U725 in the USA?
Among other places, the related Ranger is currently also made in Thailand and South Africa (where its fraternal twin the VW Amarok is also built) – and that would probably make the Bronco a more sensible sourcing proposition for Australia.
In the first three months of this year, Bronco sales are up nearly 40 per cent, and the word is that this figure would have been even higher if there had been enough stock. Ford has had difficulty meeting orders for the usual reasons (supply-chain hold-ups and production delays) since this vehicle was released two years ago.
To refresh, the U725 Bronco is a ladder-frame chassis-based 4WD wagon in two or four-door body styles as per the Jeep Wrangler. It employs much the same hardware as the North American-market version of the T6 Ranger ute, including its twin-turbo V6 petrol engines and 2.3-litre four-pot turbo EcoBoost powertrain we know from the Mustang (and Amarok).
Today’s Bronco brandishes styling cues from classic ‘60s and ‘70s originals, which – by the way – rode on a unique chassis and was intended even back then to take on the Jeep Wrangler’s CJ-5 predecessor, as well as the classic LandCruiser 40 Series. The same rival brands’ successors are in Ford’s crosshairs todays.
The team behind the first-generation Bronco was also responsible for the original Mustang of 1964. Ford was on a roll back then.
Back to today, the Bronco in question should not be confused with the smaller, Ford Escape/Kuga SUV-derived CX430-series Bronco Sport; that’s a medium-sized monocoque-bodied SUV wagon with classic Bronco styling cues that largely only suggest off-road prowess. It’s much more suited to taking on the Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-50.
But that’s another story.
Ford Australia could do much worse than launch the U725 Bronco locally as a premium alternative to the Everest, with large SUV sales continuing to grow.
Definitely keep watching this space.
Keyword: 2023 Ford Bronco SUV spotted in right-hand drive! Is Australia finally next for Ford's Toyota LandCruiser 70 and Jeep Wrangler rival?