UPDATE 6/19/2020: Apparently the widespread internet LOLs generated by moving the reveal to noted Bronco passenger and “If I Did It” author O.J. Simpson was too much, as the company has now delayed the reveal by four additional days, to July 13, as announced in the below tweet. In a less-controversial occasion of happenstance, July 13 is Harrison Ford’s birthday, which somehow seems appropriate. For what it’s worth, the company says the selection of the July 9 date was “purely coincidental.” So we will indeed see the new Bronco soon. Probably. —Ed.
UPDATE 6/15/2020: Because 2020 is just one of those years, it seems, and because truth sometimes is stranger than fiction, the 2021 Ford Bronco’s rescheduled reveal falls on O.J. Simpson’s birthday, July 9. The apparent coincidence was noticed by the Detroit Free Press. A Ford spokesperson confirmed to the Free Press and MotorTrend that the Bronco‘s debut would go on and that the timing is “purely coincidental. “
As most adult observers are aware, Simpson infamously holed up in the back seat of a white Bronco SUV during a nationally televised 1994 police chase. Accused of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, O.J. (Orenthal James) was prepared to turn himself over to authorities, however, he fled with a close friend and subsequently set off an hours-long, 60-mile, low-speed chase that became seared in the nation’s collective memories of the mid-1990s. Television broadcasters interrupted their regularly scheduled (and sports) programming to beam the (outwardly) unexciting police chase live to close to 100 million viewers. —Ed.
We’ve been waiting years for it, and now it’s finally around the corner. The 2021 Ford Bronco reveal will take place in July, the automaker announced on its website. Originally, the Bronco was expected to debut in March, but that didn’t happen for obvious reasons.
Like its predecessors, the new Ford Bronco will have a body-on-frame chassis and will be available in two- and four-door configurations. It shares its underpinnings with the Ford Ranger pickup truck. Under the hood, it’s expected to offer a 2.3-liter turbo-four, and likely a higher-output V-6. Power will likely be routed through a 10-speed automatic transmission from the F-150 and Ranger, and a seven-speed manual transmission with a built-in crawler gear may also be in the cards. Keep on the lookout for a plug-in hybrid Bronco on the horizon.
The 2021 Ford Bronco will feature some retro design elements to honor its rich heritage. Buyers will be able to customize the model with a removable roof and removable doors. As Jeep does for its 4×4 stalwart, Ford will introduce hundreds of accessories for its off-road SUV. Ford’s rugged off-roader will also tackle the revived Land Rover Defender when it goes on sale.
As Ford wants to create a family of Bronco vehicles, we’ll see a Bronco Sport debut in the near future. It will have the same crossover bones as the new Ford Escape, but with additional off-road chops. Expect it to share some design cues with the larger Bronco. A report from Automotive News last month hinted that the Bronco Sport will start production in September.