New Ford Bronco to be engineered in Oz?
Could a vehicle that’s authentically American be engineered in another country?
The Ford logo shines on the front grille of a 2014 Ford F-150, on display at a local dealership in Hialeah, Fla.
Alan Diaz/AP/File
Could a vehicle that’s authentically American as the Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F] Bronco be engineered in another country for its next generation?
That could be the case if a report out of Australia proves accurate.
Motoring reports that the new Bronco set to enter production in Michigan around 2020 will be engineered in Australia alongside a new Ranger pickup. The new Ranger is to be built at the same Michigan plant, albeit starting around 2018.
Ford’s Australian division was responsible for the current Ranger sold overseas, as well as an SUV derivative called the Everest. And according to Motoring’s sources, the Aussie Ford division has been tasked with developing the new Ranger as well as its derivatives, one of which is the new Bronco.
Underpinning the new Ranger and Bronco is said to be an updated version of the body-on-frame platform found in the current Ranger and Everest, known as the T6. Given its expertise in the platform, it makes sense for the Aussie Ford division to handle future developments of the platform and any models spawned from it.
Note, the new Bronco won’t be twinned with a new Everest SUV, as some have speculated. Rather, the Bronco is expected to ride on a shortened version of the T6 platform and target the Jeep Wrangler, while the Everest will stick to a stretched version and target more family-oriented rugged SUVs.
This story originally appeared on MotorAuthority.