Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
The mid-sized Bronco off-roader may be right around the corner for the 2021 model year, but the unibody sibling with underpinnings from the Escape still is a mystery. “Baby Bronco” is how most of us call it, but Automotive News Mexico makes a case for Bronco Scout.
Mexico is the country where the Ford Motor Company will manufacture the Mustang Mach-E electric crossover, and the compact-sized Bronco utility vehicle is understood to follow suit. “Suppliers are already assembling parts for the new model,” which explains why FoMoCo isn’t willing to confirm or deny if Mexico is indeed the stomping ground of the Bronco Scout.
The Hermosillo facility is the most likely place, and the Blue Oval has already announced that it’ll build the Transit Connect there from 2021 for North America. When the announcement was made in March 2019, the PR department had also confirmed that “it is possible” for Hermosillo to welcome “a small pickup.” In other words, the unibody workhorse on the C2 platform.
C2 also serves as the building block for the European version of the Focus, Kuga, and Escape. An industry analyst at IHS Markit believes that the latter will take on the likes of the Jeep Compass, yet the price of the Bronco Scout should be closer to that of the Compass Trailhawk.
The squared-off bodywork of the newcomer is certain to appeal to customers in the market for a cool-looking and adventure-oriented utility vehicle, but under the hood, the front-driven architecture limits powertrain choices. The Escape, for example, starts off with the 1.5-liter EcoBoost three-cylinder turbo. If we’re lucky, the 2.0-liter version with four cylinders and the 2.5-liter iVCT Atkinson-cycle hybrid option could be offered in the Bronco Scout too.
At the present moment, Hermosillo produces the Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ. Both nameplates are on the chopping block over poor sales, but the Fusion might return as an all-roading wagon in the nearest of futures.
The Hermosillo facility is the most likely place, and the Blue Oval has already announced that it’ll build the Transit Connect there from 2021 for North America. When the announcement was made in March 2019, the PR department had also confirmed that “it is possible” for Hermosillo to welcome “a small pickup.” In other words, the unibody workhorse on the C2 platform.
C2 also serves as the building block for the European version of the Focus, Kuga, and Escape. An industry analyst at IHS Markit believes that the latter will take on the likes of the Jeep Compass, yet the price of the Bronco Scout should be closer to that of the Compass Trailhawk.
The squared-off bodywork of the newcomer is certain to appeal to customers in the market for a cool-looking and adventure-oriented utility vehicle, but under the hood, the front-driven architecture limits powertrain choices. The Escape, for example, starts off with the 1.5-liter EcoBoost three-cylinder turbo. If we’re lucky, the 2.0-liter version with four cylinders and the 2.5-liter iVCT Atkinson-cycle hybrid option could be offered in the Bronco Scout too.
At the present moment, Hermosillo produces the Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ. Both nameplates are on the chopping block over poor sales, but the Fusion might return as an all-roading wagon in the nearest of futures.
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