This year could have been the perfect year for the release of the Ford Bronco after a long hiatus as 2016 actually marks the 50th anniversary of the brand, which Ford Motor Company first unraveled in 1966.
However, based on latest reports, it is unlikely for the American carmaker to unveil the 2016 Ford Bronco this year as the earliest the newest iteration of the vehicle could come out is between the years 2017 to 2020.
As such, there could be a 2017 Ford Bronco, a 2018 Ford Bronco, a 2019 Ford Bronco, or a 2020 Ford Bronco, but never a 2016 Ford Bronco.
Ford seems to have made up its mind on its plan when it officially announced last February that it would be launching four new sport utility vehicles (SUVs) in the next four years, which means from next year until 2020.
However, the American car manufacturer did not disclose the names of the SUVs nor did it mention anything about specific release dates of each of the upcoming product offerings.
What Ford said about the new SUVs in its press release is that those upcoming additions to its SUV lineup will be intended for millennials and baby boomers, which account for about 160 million among the world’s population.
Venturing into a competitive segment
Mark LaNeve, Ford Motor Company vice president of marketing, sales, and service, explained during a breakfast meeting of the Midwest Automotive Media Association in February that the growth in SUV sales is expected to continue not only in the US but all over the world.
And that is the reason why Ford will be venturing into the segment with four new SUVs in the next four years. LaNeve also said that the American carmaker is currently not competing in the segment.
The announcement by Ford Motor Company has sparked speculations that one of those four SUVs might be the long awaited return of the iconic Bronco last seen 20 years ago.
If Ford will be launching its 2016 Bronco this year, it would have started promotions, controlled leaks, or even test drives of the vehicle by this time. But apparently, none of those are in the works at the moment so it is becoming clear that 2016 may not be the year when the Bronco will get back on the road again.
However, it is possible that the Bronco may be one of the four SUVs that will be released by Ford Motor Company, but it is not going to be this year so it is not going to be called a 2016 Ford Bronco.
A super celebration for the Bronco
While the 2016 Ford Bronco may no longer come out this year, it seems that Ford and the Bronco fans are determined to mark the 50th Anniversary of the iconic brand this year through a special event this month called as ‘Bronco Super Celebration 10’ to be held at the Tally Ho Inn in Townsend, Tennessee.
It will be a week-long event beginning on April 12 to April 17 that will be highlighted by various activities including a nature trekking, biking, hiking, fun games, a BroncOlympics, a bonfire, a raffle, a cave spelunking, and a whole lot more, reports Bronco Driver Magazine.
From 1966 to 1996, Ford has produced five generations of the Broncos. But there are two distinctive versions in the development of the Broncos. The first one is the early Bronco that was released from 1966 to 1977 and the second is the so-called big Bronco that was manufactured from 1978 to 1996, reports Release Date of Cars.
According to critics, the main purpose of creating a Bronco was for Ford to be able to compete with the 4WD SUVs on their own unique platforms like Jeep and International Harvester had.