Ford Bronco firms for Australia

The Ford Bronco off-roader’s Aussie prospects have been boosted with the establishment of a factory-backed right-hand drive conversion facility in Melbourne.

Built and run by RMA Automotive Australia, the facility is currently ramping up production of the Ford F-150 XLT and Lariat ahead of their November arrival in dealerships.

But further down the track both Ford Australia president Andrew Birkic and RMAAA general manager Trevor Negus have acknowledged the potential to build Bronco on the line.

Frustratingly, while the Bronco is based on the same Aussie-developed T6 platform that also underpins the Ranger ute and Everest SUV, and was partly developed Down Under, it is only built in left-hand drive in North America and China, with no prospect of factory right-hand drive production.

This new local assembly line potentially changes all that, especially as the path to T6 right-hand drive wouldn’t have to be technically pioneered in the same way it was for F-150.

“I think it is very doable and I’d love to have that challenge,” Negus said, when asked about building the Bronco in right-hand drive.

Birkic was equally enthusiastic about Bronco, but attempted to quell any suggestion local conversion was definitely going to happen.

“Bronco is an amazing vehicle and we’d love it. We’re looking at it, but we have nothing to share,” he said.

“There would be lots of decisions that would need to be made. We would go through a very rigorous process and due diligence: What’s the right way to do it? What’s the most effective way? Can we get the supply? Is it commercially viable?”

Relaunched in the US in 2021 after a 25-year hiatus, the sixth-generation Ford Bronco is available in short- and long-wheelbase two-door and four-door wagon guises, powered by a choice of four-cylinder and V6 petrol engines. The line-up is topped off by the Bronco Raptor equivalent to the Ranger Raptor.

RMAAA head of product development Chris Fostineo suggested a Bronco conversion program would be potentially easier than F-150 because the T6 homeroom is in Melbourne, while the F-Series is engineered out of Detroit.

“I think one benefit is the core engineering program that developed T6 is three or four kays up the road, which certainly helps with communications,” he said.

“Having said that, the US team have been phenomenal throughout the whole [F-150] program.”

While the Bronco is priced from $US39,130 ($A60,900) in North America, where it’s a direct rival for the Jeep Wrangler, shipping and conversion costs would increase that price significantly in Australia.

But the Bronco is just one of many projects the RMAAA facility could examine. The Ford F-150 Lightning electric pick-up is another – alongside numerous other spin-offs from the orthodox F-150 line-up, such as the Raptor and Tremor off-roaders.

Birkic conceded there was even the potential for unique models to be developed locally, while engineers involved with the project admitted they were keen to boost payload to improve towing capabilities.

“It’s got to make sense,” cautioned Birkic about conversion future plans. “Of course, our job is to forecast future segments and what things will work.

“We will get data from customers and media, from our dealers on what’s working, what we can improve and we will bake that into that our product cycles.”

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