Electric Ford Bronco New Energy unveiled with China-only sales plan

You’re looking at an all-electric version of the funky Ford Bronco off-roader. But it’s not, if you’re wondering, designed for Mulholland drive or the Moab, but megacities like Shanghai. That’s because this new model has been designed specifically for the Chinese market, yet we think it should really be coming here too. 

Officially called the ‘Ford Bronco New Energy’, this large SUV has been built as part of Ford’s joint venture with the Chinese-owned Jiangling Motors group. As such, it doesn’t feature a thirsty four-cylinder or V6 petrol engine as it does in the US, but an all-electric powertrain with the option of a range-extender hybrid too. 

So while it’s all-but impossible to legislate the American Ford Bronco in the UK and Europe thanks to our strict emissions regulations, this model seems to solve the problem by going straight in for a much cleaner electric powertrain. 

In terms of size, the Bronco New Energy is just over five metres long and a touch under two metres wide, making it around 250mm longer than a Land Rover Defender, but marginally narrower. Also like a Defender, the electric Bronco features a car-like unibody construction, rather than the American Bronco’s ladder frame. 

The floor houses a big 105kWh battery pack that gives it up to 404 miles of range on the Chinese CLTC cycle, which prioritises lower speeds and urban environments. This strong range figure is likely boosted by the fact it’s not four-wheel drive, instead featuring a single motor with 271bhp.

There’s also a 241bhp plug-in range extender variant, which downsizes the battery size to around 43kWh and packs in a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that can recharge the battery on the go. Ford quotes an all-electric range figure of 143 miles for this one, after which the petrol engine will kick in. 

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Aside from this, we have few technical details, but can see from the images that the new car looks just as rugged as the traditional Bronco, thanks to its upright body, retro detailing and chunky wheel arches. No images of the interior have been revealed, but we suspect it to be focused towards Chinese consumers who are more digitally connected and technically savvy than the median European buyer. So in other words, expect plenty of screen real estate. 

This isn’t the only good looking Ford SUV built solely for the Chinese market, either, with the Territory SUV also built as part of the aforementioned joint venture. Neither model is expected to come to Europe in the near future, which we reckon is a bit of a shame.

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