Ford Bronco for Australia: RHD could come after American sales peak

"There’s going to be a lot of iterations, so give us some time.”

Ford’s highest executive has offered a glimmer of hope that its Bronco and Bronco Sport lifestyle-focused SUVs might still make it to showrooms Down Under, if all other demand for the duo can be satisfied first.

The Blue Oval has previously thrown water on any hopes the Bronco models may be offered in Australia, confirming left-hand drive only for the model range, thereby excluding them from the local line-up.

However, Ford’s top exec has confirmed that while the pair of SUVs are indeed only being made in LHD for now, right-hand drive versions will be considered if the company can find capacity in its manufacturing facilities.

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Ford president and CEO Jim Farley explained that the Bronco and Bronco Sport will be in high-demand for about 24 months, but once sales have peaked, there may be an opportunity to offer the models in smaller markets.

“We can do Bronco and Bronco Sport for the globe for sure, but we have, like, a year or two order bank, so we have a lot of work to do on our capacity before we can even consider something like that,” he said.

Ford’s iconic Mustang coupe and convertible received a warm welcome and record-breaking  sales when it was offered in Australia as a factory-built RHD for the first time in 2016, and Farley explained the same approach could be applied to the Bronco brace in time.

“Of course it can be engineered just like Mustang, but you have to invest in the capacity and it’s the first or second inning of building up the Bronco line-up. There’s going to be a lot of iterations, so give us some time.”

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Ford has recently confirmed it will offer the F-150 plus-size ute with conversions to RHD on Australian turf starting early next year however, making the business case stack up for smaller less expensive vehicles with skinnier margins is harder.

That means it’s unlikely the Bronco and Bronco Sport models will make it Down Under as part of a conversion partnership program like the F-150, but factory RHD production will make more sense to Ford’s bean counters – just like Mustang.

If they were to arrive in Australian showrooms, the Bronco would provide a compelling lifestyle and off-road-focused rival to Jeep’s popular and cult-followed Wrangler, while the Bronco Sport would compete in the midsize SUV class against the likes of Toyota’s RAV4.