Ford is reportedly planning to release a new compact SUV for Europe, wearing the famous Bronco nameplate and fitted with a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain – but it will be another Bronco that’s unlikely to be sold in Australia.
The plan was first revealed by Autocar in September and now Automotive News Europe has cited sources confirming the new SUV will wear the Bronco name, feature a PHEV powertrain, and be produced alongside the Kuga mid-size SUV at Ford’s Valencia plant in Spain from 2027.
According to ANE, the Spanish-built Bronco will be slightly smaller than the Kuga, which was sold in Australia as the Escape until it was axed in 2023, and isn’t related to the Bronco Sport (pictured above) or larger Bronco SUVs sold only in the US, or the Bronco EV sold in China, all of which are produced only in left-hand drive.
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While North America’s full-size Bronco is based on the same Australian-developed T6 ladder-frame platform as the Ranger ute and Everest SUV, the European Bronco will be underpinned by the same C2 monocoque architecture as the US-built Bronco Sport and Maverick ute, and the Kuga/Escape.
The C2 platform also previously underpinned the Focus small car, which was axed in Australia along with the smaller Fiesta hatch in 2022, and then discontinued globally after 27 years last month, so the European Bronco will be an indirect replacement for the long-running Blue Oval nameplate.
But while the Focus was produced at Ford’s Saarlouis factory in Germany until November 17, ANE reports that the new Bronco will add much needed volume to its Spanish factory, which now builds only the Kuga after the axing of several models including the Mondeo mid-size car and the Galaxy and S-Max people movers.
Expected to wear a boxy design with rugged styling cues to differentiate it from the Kuga, the first Bronco model to be sold in Europe will give Ford a direct competitor for compact off-road SUVs like the Dacia Bigster and Jeep Compass, the new generation of which will bring PHEV power in 2026 in addition to hybrid and pure-electric drivetrains.
However, sources told ANE the European Bronco won’t be available as an EV.
Ford previously said it would produce a new “multienergy” model in Valencia, indicating the European Bronco could be available with both plugless hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains.
Apart from continuing Ford’s strategy of applying its iconic American nameplates to all-new electrified models, which started with the all-electric Explorer large SUV built for Europe in Cologne, Germany, and continued with the Mustang Mach-E and Capri electric SUVs, the new Bronco model will also see Ford move further away from being a general auto brand to focussing on selected ‘hero’ models in Europe.
Post-Fiesta, Focus, Mondeo, Falcon and Territory, Ford is undergoing a similar transformation in Australia, where the Blue Oval brand offers only the Ranger, Everest, Mustang, Mustang Mach-E, Tourneo, F-150 and Transit-badged vans, and is no longer present in the nation’s single largest new-vehicle sales segment (medium SUVs).
Indeed, Ford Australia also lacks any SUV model smaller than the Everest off-roader, following the backflip on its decision to release the latest Puma small SUV, which is now available overseas in battery-electric guise and continues to be Ford’s top-seller in Europe, ahead of the Kuga (excluding vans).
Ford Australia wouldn’t comment on the prospects of the European Bronco being sold here, even if it’s likely to be produced in right-hand drive for markets including the UK, and meet some of the world’s most stringent safety and emissions regulations.
However, any European-sourced Ford model would face the same problems as the Puma and Kuga locally – import tariffs and relatively high shipping costs, making it difficult to compete with the increasing number of cut-price rivals from China.