Ford Bronco ute set to return – report

A Ford Bronco ute is reportedly on the way to showrooms, according to reports from the United States, joining an onslaught of new Ford models including a four-door Mustang and the Fathom electric ute.

While the Jeep Gladiator rival is yet to be confirmed by Ford, the new Bronco pickup will reportedly be built at a Michigan factory dedicated entirely to Bronco production, according to Automotive News.

The plant currently builds the Ford Ranger for the US market, which shares the same ladder-frame underpinnings and engines as the Ranger sold globally, including in Australia.

Australian-market Rangers are built in Thailand and South Africa.

While Ford hasn't announced a replacement for the Ranger, it has confirmed an affordable, combustion-powered pickup will be produced at its BlueOval City plant in Tennessee from 2029, which will reportedly be sized similarly to the Ranger.

It's not clear whether the next-generation Ranger and Bronco will continue to share platforms and components, with previous plans to use the same modular platform across all of the brand’s pickups reportedly shelved.

Ford Australia doesn't currently offer the Bronco locally. However, the name is set to appear in Australian showrooms after a Queensland dealer revealed a preview page for the upcoming China-made Bronco New Energy extended-range electric SUV earlier this month.

News of a Bronco pickup – the first such offering since the first-generation Bronco – follows previous plans to introduce a Bronco ute in 2024, which were reportedly shelved in 2021 as the automaker focused on a since-abandoned goal of having EVs account for 40 per cent of its global sales by 2030.

In 2025, Ford showed the one-off Bronco Roadster Concept, with retro styling and a stripped-back body with the doors removed and rear seat area converted into a tray to become a ute.

The current US-market Bronco uses the same 2.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that forms the basis of the Ranger Hybrid powertrain sold here, and is also used in the Volkswagen Amarok which is twinned with the Ranger.

Higher Bronco model grades are available with a 2.7-litre twin-turbocharged V6, while the flagship Bronco Raptor is powered by a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 producing 312kW and 597Nm.

The Bronco is also offered with retro-inspired styling cues that reference the original 1966 model-year Bronco.

A Bronco ute would give Ford four pickup models beneath the F-150 as it delivers on previous pledges made by CEO Jim Farley.

These include leveraging the brand’s most recognisable nameplates and expanding lineups around revered names such as the Mustang, which is reportedly set to gain a four-door sedan option which was recently shown to US dealers.

“We are doubling down on what we do best: trucks, iconic passion products, Ford Pro and breakthrough technology that you will soon see on our forthcoming EV platform,” Mr Farley told Automotive News in 2025.

That strategy also includes the recently announced Ford Fathom, a new electric ute due in 2027.

The Fathom will be the first model to use Ford’s Universal Electric Vehicle (UEV) architecture, with a promised starting price of US$29,945 (A$42,000), making it one of Ford’s cheapest showroom models.

While engineered in right-hand drive, it's yet to be confirmed for markets outside North America, with no official announcement on whether it will be offered in Australia alongside the Mustang Mach-E, E-Transit Custom and E-Transit EVs.

The Fathom also follows Mr Farley’s promise of more affordable models, after the axing of the Ford Escape SUV, a rival to the Toyota RAV4 that sells strongly in both the US and Australia.

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