The grille of what appears to be Ford's promised 'Baby Bronco' SUV has been leaked online, revealing details about its rounded lights ahead of its reveal.
Images posted on the Bronco6G forum show the black grille cutout, which has space for the letters BRONCO running through its centre.
It's quite curved, suggesting the nose of the smaller Bronco model – which could be branded Adventurer or Bronco Sport – won't be all straight lines and hard edges.
With the latest Escape looking more like its Focus platform-mate than ever before, Ford has identified a need for a compact crossover with more rugged, square-rigged styling. Enter what many are calling the “baby Bronco”.
Its boxy silhouette should bear a resemblance to the reborn, adventure-ready Ranger-based Bronco that’s currently in development. Unlike the big daddy Bronco, however, the baby Bronco will utilise monocoque construction.
It looks like Ford is preparing a canvas roll-top roof for the upcoming Bronco SUV, potentially with the ability to act as a canvas awning.
Patent drawings uncovered by Automobile Magazine reveal the roll-top is far smarter than it appears in pictures. The filing contains mention of two canvas layers: one a full-on roof, the other a mesh-style covering.
CarAdvice podcast 35, LIVE from Detroit: Astra sedan, Steed review, Holden's Sean Poppitt and hits & misses of Detroit!
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Direct from the 2017 Detroit Motor Show, join Paul, Mike Costello, Mike Stevens and Matt Campbell.
Catch all the car news from Detroit with the reveal of the Toyota Camry, Astra sedan, Astra hatch pricing, Lexus LS, Ford Bronco/Ranger and Mercedes-Benz Project One.
Mike Costello reviews the Great Wall Steed and Matt discusses the comparison between the Holden Astra, Renault Megane and Subaru Impreza.
Ford Bronco will use Ranger and Everest's T6 architecture – UPDATE
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The reborn Ford Bronco will have a strong Australian connection, because it will be based on a version of the body-on-frame T6 architecture that underpins the Ranger and Everest.
As Ford followers will know already, the T6 platform and the two vehicles it presently handles were developed by Ford Asia Pacific’s regional R&D hub based in Melbourne. The Ranger has leaf rear suspension, while the Everest has a more SUV-friendly setup with a Watt's linkage.
It appears those rumours about the return of the iconic Ford Bronco off-roader were true, with production slated to begin in Michigan in 2018.
All we know so far is that the Ford Bronco badge will return affixed to a SUV model, though one can speculate that it will give the Blue Oval an answer to the Jeep Wrangler.
In an unusual twist, the cat was let out of the bag by United Auto Workers representative Bill Johnson, in response to polarising presidential contender Donald Trump.
