Open-deck Ford Bronco bites the dust

With production only having recently commenced and a backlog continuing to prevail, a report from the United States has alleged that the much rumoured bakkie version of the Ford Bronco has been cancelled.

First reported on last year with the aim being the Jeep Gladiator spun-off of the Wrangler, Automotive News reports that Blue Oval executives had allegedly given the open-deck Bronco the thumbs down so as to avoid possible overlapping with not only the Ranger, but also the recently introduced Maverick.

Planned for introduction in either 2023 or 2024, the biggest hint of the Bronco bakkie becoming a reality came after a Gladiator was spotted outside of Ford’s F-150 plant in Michigan two months ago, allegedly as a benchmarking vehicle and for other unknown purposes.

Despite Ford having never officially confirmed the Bronco pick-up outright, rumours were that the marque had planned on expanding the nameplate beyond not only the current model, but also the more lifestyle Bronco Sport that rides on the same C2 platform as the Focus, Kuga and the Maverick.

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Like the Gladiator, the Bronco pick-up would have been offered solely with four doors and a loadbin that would have reportedly make it longer than the SUV version and possibly require an extension of the T6 platform that will allegedly evolve into the T7 for the currently under development all-new Ranger, Everest and Volkswagen Amarok.

In the US, the Bronco bakkie, like its sibling, would have offered a choice of two engines; the 200kW/420Nm 2.3 EcoBoost used by the Ranger and the twin-turbocharged 2.7 EcoBoost V6 that produces 231kW/542Nm. Transmissions would have comprised a seven-speed manual or the familiar General Motors co-developed ten-speed automatic.

The apparent cancellation will however have no effect on right-hand-drive markets as Ford has already ruled not only the Bronco but also the Bronco Sport out for key right-hand-drive market such as Australia and South Africa despite the want for both being strong.