2016 Ford Bronco Specs News: A Timeline of Touted Features
The 2016 Ford Bronco continues to bask in the limelight, thanks to the rumors that are keeping it afloat in the news currently.
Ford introduced the original Bronco in 1966 and was available for nearly 30 years. However, 20 years ago, in 1996, the company stopped production of the small, four-wheel-drive compact SUV.
That might have been the end of that. But in 2004, Ford brought a retro-modern Bronco concept at the North American International Auto Show. The concept was powered by a 128-hp four-cylinder turbo diesel engine, which outputted 244 lb-ft of torque, coupled with a six-speed automatic. Although many were hoping for the concept to hit the production line, Ford apparently chose not to.
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Despite this, rumors of a new Ford Bronco continue. On April 1, 2014, 10 years after the concept's appearance, Four Wheeler published a post titled "2016 Ford SVT Bronco Coming Soon," which raised the hopes of many Ford fans and followers. Unfortunately, the article is part of the site's "biggest April Fools pranks ever." The prank has only fueled the grapevine as speculations on the Ford Bronco have not stopped since.
About the only reliable piece of information among all these Ford Bronco rumors is a report from Motor Trend. According to the report, Ford and United Auto Workers (UAW) have entered into a tentative labor contract. The agreement stipulates wage increases for Ford workers and transfer of many models outside of the United States.
The latter part of the contract, and all that it implies, has piqued the interest of Ford fans and watchers. Among those models that will be relocated are the Ford Focus and C-Max in 2018, freeing the Michigan Assembly plant to produce a "new product." A second model will also be added to the plant in 2020.
Ford has been silent on what these new products will be, but according to unnamed sources who spoke with Automotive News, the plant will be manufacturing Ranger pickups in 2018 and Bronco SUVs will follow suit two years after.
Motor Trend notes how this information seems to corroborate a previous rumor of a global Ford Ranger model. The publication speculates further that should the rumor be true, the two Ford vehicles could share a platform and other components.
The Ford-UAW contract has only intensified the already growing speculation of the Ford Bronco's comeback. But fans may want to temper their expectations regarding the 2016 Ford Bronco and remember nothing is official at this point. A previous rumor caused a fan to line up at the factory for it.
