After a brief hiatus in the rumor mills, the 2016 Ford Bronco is back again in circulation, with speculations hinting that the American carmaker would likely make an announcement about the vehicle in the upcoming Detroit International Auto Show to be held in January next year.
It is possible that Ford will put up either an actual model of the 2016 Ford Bronco during the auto show or the carmaker will just showcase concept photos to show to people how the vehicle will look like both inside and out.
However, until Ford Motor Company makes an official statement or announcement about the current speculations that seem to be getting louder and louder, all information about the formal launching date of the 2016 Ford Bronco should be taken with a fine grain of salt.
The last official word from Ford Motor Company about its iconic vehicle line happened way back in 2004 during the New York Auto Show where the carmaker displayed a concept design of the Ford Bronco. But nothing has been heard of the vehicle since then until reports about the 2016 Ford Bronco started coming out in April last year.
Based on the 2004 concept, there were reports that the 2016 Ford Bronco would come out looking like a combination of a jeep and an SUV, which would be an ideal vehicle for going into safari or the jungle. It is for such reason that the vehicle was rumored to make its debut in the movie “Jurassic World” as a park vehicle.
But as it turned out, there was no trace at all of the 2016 Ford Bronco when “Jurassic World” finally hit the theaters in June this year. In its stead, was the Mercedes-Benz compact crossover which was the service vehicle of Bryce Dallas Howard, who played park manager Claire in the movie.
After countless rumors of its impending release that did not materialize at all, many of the skeptics believe that the vehicle will no longer see the light of day.
More of a pickup than an SUV
According to the Daily Sun of Knoxville, there is a great possibility that the public may finally be able to see the 2016 Ford Bronco next year and when it does roll out of the Ford assembly line, it is expected to dominate the market for pickup trucks.
This means that contrary to previous reports that the 2016 Ford Bronco will be an SUV, it will actually be a pickup truck and shall be consistent with its jeep-like appearance displayed by Ford in 2004 as a concept.
But the previous rumors about the 2016 Ford Bronco being an SUV cannot also be faulted because the original Bronco released in 1966 was actually an SUV.
The original Bronco was an off-road vehicle that competed with the highly popular model of the Jeep SJ before it evolved into becoming an SUV, notes Release Date 2015 2016.
Ford discontinued the Bronco’s production in 1996 because two years earlier, it suffered from a bad reputation as it was the same vehicle used by O.J. Simpson in running away from the police. O.J. Simpson’s car chase with the police became one of the biggest events on live TV in American history.
When O.J. was tried in court, his Bronco was used as an exhibit in the case which contributed to the bad popularity of the vehicle, prompting the American carmaker to discontinue its production. The Bronco was eventually replaced by the Ford Expedition in the carmaker’s SUV line.
Accordingly, the 2016 Ford Bronco will retain the rugged look of its predecessors while updating the aesthetics with a touchscreen display and other modern utilities such as power-adjustable seats.
Other desirable interior features of the pickup truck include its wide luggage space behind the backseats and ample leg space for the added convenience of its passengers.