We still have a long time to wait for the next-generation of the Ford Ranger midsize pickup truck and the Ford Bronco SUV. Ford is moving to the next step for the Ranger and Bronco with a massive $1 Billion investment into its Michigan Assembly and Romeo Engine plants in Michigan.
Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant will undergo a massive re-tooling effort “next May” to produce the next Ranger and Bronco vehicles. Will the bodies of the new trucks be constructed out of aluminum, similar to the F-150, Ford Super Duty, and the Ford Expedition? The latest press release does not explicitly state this, but it says the factory upgrade will follow “the same pattern used during vehicle changeover at Dearborn Truck Plant in 2014”. Ford claims it will take around four weeks to completely upgrade the assembly plant.
The Romeo Engine plant currently produces engines for the Ford Super Duty, E-Series, and the Shelby Mustang. $150 million (out of the total $1 Billion) will go to “add capacity and tooling for components for an additional engine when the plant begins its transformation in early 2018.” What is this additional engine for the Ranger and Bronco? The press release does not elaborate.
We do not have any next-generation 2020 Ford Bronco images (Ford has not released any, except for the logo seen above). In the meantime, here is a 1968 Ford Bronco half-cab tackling a difficult Rocky Mountain train in the rain.
