2024 Ford Bronco soon to be made in China, does this open the door for Australia?

Ford’s Bronco will soon be made in China, with the Blue Oval brand leveraging its joint venture with Jangling Motor to produce the large off-road SUV from next year in Asia.

The information comes to light from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), which also shows the Chinese-made Bronco will sport Ford branding on its front grille as a point of difference with the US-built SUV.

But does this open the door for an Australian introduction of the Jeep Wrangler-rivalling model?

Read More About Ford Bronco

Ford Bronco 2024 review 2023 Ford Bronco SUV spotted in right-hand drive! Is Australia finally next for Ford's Toyota LandCruiser 70 and Jeep Wrangler rival? Ford Bronco coming to Australia? Global Ford boss leaves door open for more models to join local line-up including Bronco and Bronco Sport SUVs

Though China is a left-hand-drive market, it is not uncommon for right-hand-drive vehicles to be produced there for export – just look at the likes of the Tesla Model 3 and BMW iX3.

CarsGuide understands however, that a factory-right-hand-drive version is the least likely way for Australia to gain access to the Bronco.

A more likely pathway for the Bronco is through right-hand-drive remanufacturing, like the F-150 pick-up built in partnership with RMA Automotive.

A hurdle cited in the past to this option has been supply, but with China now also producing the Bronco it could easily boost stock and free up vehicles for lower-volume markets like Australia.

Up until now, the sixth-generation Bronco has been exclusively produced in Michigan, US, with wait times currently hovering around six-to-12 months depending on build.

However, whether the Bronco comes to Australia is still unclear, with a Ford Australia spokesperson telling CarsGuide: “Ford Bronco has proven to be a major hit in the United States, and is a fantastic vehicle on the same platform as the Ranger and Everest that were designed and developed in Australia.”

“Bronco remains a left-hand drive only vehicle, making it unavailable for Australia.”

But an expansion of Bronco production does bode well for Australia, it is at least a step in the right direction for the model to arrive Down Under – albeit a small one.

Keep in mind a right-hand-drive, crash-tested Bronco was spotted on local soil earlier this year, though Ford has stayed mum on its intentions with the model.

As a reminder, the Bronco off-roader shares the same ladder-frame T6 underpinnings as the hot-selling Ranger ute and Everest SUV.

Powertrain options start with a with a 2.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine (familiar to owners of the Mustang EcoBoost and discontinued Focus ST), which is paired to a 10-speed automatic transmission or ‘seven’-speed manual gearbox (six traditional gears with an addition crawl ratio).

Outputs reach 224kW/441Nm in the 2.3-litre engine, while a larger 2.7-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 is also available that ups the ante to 246kW/563Nm and is mated exclusively with the 10-speed auto.

A performance Raptor grade is also on offer overseas, which uses the same 3.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 as the Australian-market Ranger Raptor, though outputs are boosted to 312kW/597Nm compared with 292kW/583Nm in the ute.

Of note however, the Chinese-built Bronco will be fitted with a 202kW/455Nm 2.3-litre turbo-petrol engine with rumours pointing to an eight-speed transmission.