The lesser of two utility vehicles lined up to carry the Bronco name has reportedly been delayed for reasons that should surprise no one.
Production of Ford’s Bronco Sport, the retro-styled Escape sibling scheduled for a reveal at the New York International Auto Show, should, like the show itself, be pushed back by a matter of months. It’s looking like the original debut venue might get some use.
As reported by Automotive News, production of the Bronco Sport, originally scheduled to commence on July 13th, will instead go ahead on September 7th. That model calls Hermosillo, Mexico home. The U.S. gets its larger, body-on-frame stablemate.
Ford’s not commenting on the reported delay, which, if true, would lead to a pushback of the Bronco Sport’s early fall on-sale date. The coronavirus pandemic has laid waste to timelines across the industry, and Ford’s calendar was a crowded one for 2020. The automaker planned to get the Bronco reveals out of the way before devoting this fall to the next-generation F-150. Instead, the fast-moving pandemic scuttled the expected March reveal of the Bronco, then the Bronco Sport. The larger of the two models was expected to go on sale in early 2021; no word on how production timing might be impacted.
With the New York auto show postponed to the end of August, the Bronco Sport might get a Big Apple debut, after all.
Borrowing the platform and conventional (read: non-hybrid) powertrains of the compact Escape crossover and adding sheet metal all its own, the Bronco Sport has already hit the internet via a much-publicized leak. It seems Ford shunned the Escape’s pedestrian trim names in favor of something a little brawnier. In addition to the boxy body and inspirational naming convention, the model will further distance itself from its sibling by forgoing larger-than-necessary wheels.
[Image: BroncoSportForum]
Will we ever see the Bronco or Bronco Sport? :(
No loss really.
Ideally this will give Ford time to make it right and not a mediocre blob but I won’t hold my breath.
I mean love it or hate it, but it seems to be one of the least bloblike vehicles out there. Pretty square actually. But guard that bridge troll…NONE SHALL PASS!!!
I suggest delaying it forever. Just release the real Bronco, and forget all about this thing.
But, I like “this thing” :(
+1 Ford building any vehicle where the 4 cylinder is the big engine is an embarrassment, putting the Bronco name on said unibody turd is a travesty.
Yep…this unimaginative blob should have been called Maverick. At least then it’s not tied to the Bronco when it fails.
If I were the bald headed fool running Ford, I’d use this virus to make sure all of the maladies of the lineup get addressed and fixed before production resumes. Right now Ford has a chance to save itself. It can no longer endure another recall.
Can’t fix what you don’t recognize as a problem.
That looks utterly underwhelming.
Ford is done, just stick a fork in it and get it over with. It had a nice 100+ year run, but this past decade has been way too painful to bear.
I wouldn’t call it retro styled, unless you mean Land Rover retro styled. It does look like a LR from 10 years ago.
they’re working on the 5 star crash rating I read. it’s important