Photo: Ford
Before the all-new Bronco was shown in the flesh, the Ford Motor Company let it slip that the ladder-frame chassis is shared with the next generation of the Ranger. The mid-size pickup truck is available and will continue to be offered with right-hand drive in the UK and Australia, and this gets us back to the Jeep Wrangler-rivaling utility vehicle.
“We’ve optimized for left-hand drive,” said chief designer Paul Wraith. Speaking to Ford Authority, the official has highlighted that “we’re always open to doing all sorts of things in the future, but right now, we’re LHD focused."
Paul is right if you take a step back to look at the bigger picture. The U.S. is the most important market for the two- and four-door Bronco, and reservations number in the hundreds of thousands at the time of reporting. The demand overwhelms supply to such an extent that some deliveries have been pushed back to 2022.
Given that Ford is busy with the launch of the F-150 and in the middle of a worldwide restructuring, there is no mistaking that right-hand drive for the Bronco isn’t a priority. Think about how few of these babies would be sold in Australia and the United Kingdom, how much it would cost to retool the factory for RHD production, and how long it would take to homologate the off-roader bruiser.
There are, however, exceptions like the mid-engine Corvette. The C8 is available in right-hand drive from the factory, and whatever remains of Chevrolet in Europe takes orders for left-hand-drive models. In Japan, for example, the golden bowtie received more than 300 reservations for the Stingray in approximately 60 hours.
Turning our attention back to the Blue Oval, the assembly plant is already churning out pre-production Broncos in preparation for series production. Job #1 is expected in March 2021, and U.S. market deliveries are targeted to begin in June 2021.
Paul is right if you take a step back to look at the bigger picture. The U.S. is the most important market for the two- and four-door Bronco, and reservations number in the hundreds of thousands at the time of reporting. The demand overwhelms supply to such an extent that some deliveries have been pushed back to 2022.
Given that Ford is busy with the launch of the F-150 and in the middle of a worldwide restructuring, there is no mistaking that right-hand drive for the Bronco isn’t a priority. Think about how few of these babies would be sold in Australia and the United Kingdom, how much it would cost to retool the factory for RHD production, and how long it would take to homologate the off-roader bruiser.
There are, however, exceptions like the mid-engine Corvette. The C8 is available in right-hand drive from the factory, and whatever remains of Chevrolet in Europe takes orders for left-hand-drive models. In Japan, for example, the golden bowtie received more than 300 reservations for the Stingray in approximately 60 hours.
Turning our attention back to the Blue Oval, the assembly plant is already churning out pre-production Broncos in preparation for series production. Job #1 is expected in March 2021, and U.S. market deliveries are targeted to begin in June 2021.
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