Ford Bronco Hybrid reportedly confirmed on shareholder call
Any news is good news, considering how little we know about the Bronco still.
Shareholder conference calls aren't usually the place where news is broken, but Ford's CEO had quite the interesting nugget to share on this week's call.
According to Automotive News' Michael Martinez, Ford CEO Jim Hackett confirmed that the upcoming Ford Bronco SUV will have a hybrid variant. It's part of a great push by the automaker to electrify its lineup, something automakers around the world have committed to do over the next few years.
Ford hasn't been too forthright with Bronco information yet. What we've seen has been limited to a small number of teasers, and what we've heard has been limited to reports like this. Rumors came from a dealer meeting that the Bronco will be available in both two- and four-door configurations, with a removable hardtop and doors. It will apparently have a "retro" design, but we won't know until Ford pulls back the veil in 2020.
Before the Bronco arrives, though, we'll have something smaller to contend with. It's believed that Ford's "baby Bronco" will launch around the same time as the Bronco, or perhaps a bit earlier. Ford recently moved to trademark both Scout and Bronco Scout, so that might be its name, but aside from a single teaser, the automaker has been pretty mum about this smaller rugged SUV.
Thankfully, you don't have to wait to pick up a "brand new" Bronco. A company called Gateway Bronco in Illinois is offering licensed new versions of the first-generation Bronco. These vehicles, which are built from scratch, can pack some major updates over the original, including a 5.0-liter Coyote V8, a multilink suspension and Brembo brakes. But, with a starting price of $120,000, it'd be more cost efficient to wait a year for Ford's own creation to hit dealers.
