Ford Bronco Patents Preview Next Gen With Built-In Camper SetupAutoGuide.comRoss BallotTue, September 15, 2026 at 2:56 PM UTCAdd us on GoogleGenerative rendering created by AutoGuide.com staffGenerative rendering created by AutoGuide.com staffFeels like yesterday the "new" Ford Bronco was revealed, doesn't it? Despite that being over six years ago already, Ford has been hard at work rolling out special models to help keep sales ticking away.The brand might have just done itself an injustice, though, as filings with the United States Patent and Trademark Office have revealed drawings for a Bronco you can sleep in and possibly the next-generation Bronco itself.Source: United States Patent and Trademark OfficeSource: United States Patent and Trademark OfficeAdvertisementAdvertisementSlated to go on sale in 2029 as a 2030 model year release, the upcoming seventh-generation Bronco will undoubtedly take the successes of the current model and build upon them while doing its damnedest to battle the set-to-debut-in-2028 "J70" Jeep Wrangler.To get there, Ford is going big-- or at least that's what recent patent filings seem to allude to. There are multiple drawings involved, with one displaying built-in sleeping accommodations within the cabin itself, and another utilizing access via the removable roof panels to get to a rooftop tent. Further, there are drawings for a roof rack-mounted storage solution for the roof panels themselves, which in the current gen stow away in the cargo area, thus allowing the cargo hold itself to be incorporated into the aforementioned in-cabin sleeping setup.Source: United States Patent and Trademark OfficeSource: United States Patent and Trademark OfficeFunny thing is, the drawings themselves - though filed by Ford, and very clearly a Bronco in stature and stance - don't perfectly reflect the current, on-sale-today Bronco's body. The C-through-D pillar and rooflines are all sorts of wrong, and the proportions are different, too.AdvertisementAdvertisementOur thoughts based on the renders immediately have us thinking of a Rivian or (yet-to-be-built) Scout Traveler, but some of that could just be the renders themselves. Remember, folks: Filings for patent protection are mainly done to protect intellectual property and the money that is tied to it, not for the actuality of production.Source: United States Patent and Trademark OfficeSource: United States Patent and Trademark OfficeProbably more interesting than the fairly unlikely notion of this actually forecasting being the next Bronco are the designs for camping and sleeping provisions, the likes of which have become very popular in the off-roading and overlanding communities.Offering Bronco buyers the opportunity to sleep comfortably in their vehicle via factory-built hardware is something we've only seen thanks to the likes of the Volkswagen Bus/Microbus and Westfalia, but otherwise it has always been a bring-your-own-solution ordeal.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMore likely than not, these options would be something you purchase via a Ford dealership rather than option on or that are included in a model/trim, but that has been a runaway success of a business model for many brands as of late. Gaining any incremental sales versus them going to the aftermarket is a win for any OEM, so Ford probably figures it might as well give the whole segment a shot.Or maybe not; who really knows at this point. For all we know, these drawings are throwaways that Ford just concocted to protect others from stealing its ideas, and the next Bronco is nothing like what we're seeing here (and features or offers none of what is shown in the patent drawings). Time will tell.Become an AutoGuide insider. Get the latest from the automotive world first by subscribing to our newsletterhere.