UPDATE 5/9/19: Today, nearly one year to the day after we first reported that the new Ford Bronco would offer a hybrid variant, Ford CEO Jim Hackett doubled down on the statement during the company's shareholder meeting. The update comes by way of an Automotive News reporter who tweeted the news during the meeting.

Those who have been following the Bronco's resurrection will remember that the upcoming 2021 Ford Bronco is slated to be available in two- and four-door versions ranging in ruggedness from a mild mall runner to an off-road model purported to have the goods to compete with the Jeep Wrangler. (A hybrid version of the Jeep Wrangler has also been confirmed.) Additionally, a smaller "Baby Bronco" is also in the works. Which version is ideally suited for hybridization is still unknown, but given what we’ve seen so far, both Broncos are eligible; the Escape's hybrid powertrain could be adapted for the Baby Bronco, and the Ford Explorer / Lincoln Aviator hybrid powertrain for the standard Bronco. —Andrew Wendler



Ford dumped the Bronco SUV from its lineup 22 years ago. Now, in hybrid form, it could be the exemplar for how the automaker hopes to grow its business in America.

In light of the automaker’s bombshell announcement that it will mostly transition out of the passenger-car business, the company will need to apply its EV and hybrid efforts to trucks, SUVs, and crossovers.

The 2020 Ford Bronco is one of several models for which Ford has now confirmed a hybrid variant. The Bronco promises head-turning design and a hybrid version that doesn’t sacrifice truck toughness, and it should make an intriguing mashup of old and new. The Bronco going hybrid isn’t as shocking as it might have been a year or two ago; it’s nearly a competitive necessity. The Jeep Wrangler is already hybridized in four-cylinder form, and by the time the Bronco­­­ reaches the market, a Wrangler plug-in hybrid will have arrived.

Ford last month said that it aims to increase its SUV sales by 20 percent, discussing plans to offer eight SUVs by 2020. Five of those models will offer hybrid powertrains, and one will be a battery-electric vehicle. The company has, at various times, confirmed hybrid versions of the F-150, Mustang, Explorer, and Escape as well as the Bronco. Plus, based on outside reports, hybrid versions of the Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, and Lincoln MKC are all expected around 2020. Among these, several are likely to be plug-in hybrids, but Ford has also suggested the possibility of an onboard generator system for the F-150 hybrid, a model that could share its hybrid design with the Bronco.

The Bronco will be heavily based on the Ranger pickup, so that could open up another hybrid possibility that Ford hasn’t discussed yet. Ford once had one of the strongest-selling hybrids on the market with its Escape hybrid; a new version of this nameplate could inherit some of the recent upgrades given to the Fusion Energi, which has no long-term future, and the already discontinued C-Max Energi.

Hybrids today are only 2 percent of the U.S. market, so while these measures may be necessary, they’re not sufficient for Ford’s ambitions. What will take the place of today’s Fiesta, Focus, Fusion, and Taurus? In its shareholder presentation, Ford said it’s "exploring new 'white space' vehicle silhouettes that combine the best attributes of cars and utilities, such as higher ride height, space, and versatility."

According to Jim Farley, Ford’s president of global markets, that may take the shape of "very emotional" performance and active variants. "We will have a diverse passenger-car business," said Farley, on the financial call. "It just won’t be traditional silhouetted sedans that tend to be commoditized."

This article originally appeared on April 26, 2018.

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