More evidence of the first Ford Bronco since 1996 is a side effect from a U.S. presidential hopeful’s comments in a debate last week.
A representative for the United Auto Workers revealed in an interview with the Detroit Free Press that the Ford Ranger and Bronco are coming to fill the void left at the Wayne, Michigan plant that is losing Ford Focus production to Mexico – a lightning rod for Republican candidate Donald Trump in the current presidential campaign.
UAW Local 900 chair Bill Johnson told the Free Press in a Sept. 29 story Trump needs to “get his facts straight” about the shift in small car production to the company’s facilities in Mexico and the mischaracterization of jobs being slashed in Michigan.
“We hate to see the products go to Mexico, but with the Ranger and the Bronco coming to Michigan Assembly that absolutely secures the future for our people a lot more than the Focus does,” Johnson said.
For those interested in midsize trucks and SUVs, however, Johnson’s statement seems to confirm rumors that have circulated for years. The Ford Ranger will return, after having been on sale in other markets since its U.S. cancellation in 2011, around 2018 when the Michigan plant is retooled from Focus and C-Max production. A year or so after, an SUV likely to use Ranger mechanicals and called Bronco will be added to the line. It’s expected the new Bronco will compete with the Jeep Wrangler as a lifestyle off-roader to complement their car-based SUVs.
But for fans of classic 4x4s, this is the biggest news for the Bronco since American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson won all those Emmys last month.
Top photo: Ford Bronco render via Bronco6G, Below: 1992 Ford Bronco & 2004 Ford Bronco Concept
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