Ford F-150, Bronco, Mustang Mach-E and Maverick still not for Oz

Ford’s stunning range of new US models including the top-selling F-150 pick-up, Ranger-based Bronco and electric Mustang Mach-E are off-limits to Australia and it appears they will remain so.

Ford Australia boss Andrew Birkic sat through a media roundtable this week as journos asked about the local prospects of these three big-hitters – as well as the newly-unveiled Chinese-market Ford Evos crossover, the Bronco Sport compact SUV and the upcoming Maverick small ute based on the same C2 car platform – and he pretty much offered the same response on all of them.

“Nothing to share,” he said.

It was a defensive performance legendary British cricketing stonewaller Geoff Boycott would have been proud of.

While some past Ford Australia presidents have been prepared to drop the occasional hint about future product plans, Birkic was resolute in his determination to reveal nothing about anything, unless the media release has been issued.

On the prospects of the 14th generation F-150 taking the fight up to the RAM 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado 1500 in the local market, Birkic said:

“We always review programs and vehicles around the world, that is the beauty of being a global company, but nothing to share on that [F-150]. There is no right-hand drive,” Brkic confirmed.

On the prospects of local right-hand drive conversion – as performed by the Walkinshaw Group in Melbourne with the RAM and Silverado – if RHD isn’t available ex-factory, Brkic was equally opaque.

“We are always surveying the landscape and the landscape and our competitors… we understand the market, we have open lines of communication with our management bit I won’t be discussing the cycle plan.

“Nothing to share on future product announcements.”

Same goes for the born-again Ford Bronco, an all-new Jeep Wrangler rival based on the latest iteration of the Aussie-developed T6 Ranger platform. While its interior and exterior design was developed in the US, the Victorian-based T6 homeroom had massive input into this vehicle.

Despite this – and being a smash-hit in the US – the Bronco is not available in right-hand drive and therefore is off the list for Australia, as we’ve previously reported.

“We’re always looking at what the globe has and that is part of our role. But there is no right-hand drive for that vehicle,” said Birkic.

In contrast, the Ford Mustang Mach-E is being built in right-hand drive for the UK market, but that still doesn’t mean it’s a candidate for Australia, where the plug-in hybrid Escape – delayed until early 2022 after battery packs in early build examples caught fire – will remain Ford’s sole electrified commitment.

“Nothing to share on the Mach-E. There is incredibly strong demand [overseas] for that product,” said Birkic, who nevertheless confirmed Ford Australia would release an all-electric vehicle – one day.

“We will start with the Escape PHEV and we will have some [electrification] news to share at some point and it will include BEV.”

Asked if a lack of strong government policy support for electrification was discouraging a commitment to EVs, Birkic deflected.

“Globally we have said we want to be carbon-neutral by 2050. We understand there is an FCAI [emission reduction] code which we have signed up to.

“We will make the decision where we see levels of demand and also what our customers want.”

Just to wrap things up, here’s what Brkic had to say about:

Evos: “That vehicle will be in China and we have nothing to share on that vehicle coming to Australia.”

Bronco: “As a Ford employee, we think it’s an amazing product. We are really proud… it’s an amazing body of work and we’re incredibly proud. But the vehicle isn’t built for right-hand-drive and that’s where it’s at.”

Bronco Sport: “Same response [it’s left-hand drive only].”

Maverick: “I’ve got nothing to comment on it. What we need to focus on is Ranger.”

Ford is clearly doing that job effectively, as the Ranger 4x2 and 4x4 accounted for 63.35 per cent of all Ford Australia sales in the first quarter of 2021, or 10,003 of 15,788 total sales.

Ford’s second-best selling vehicle was the T6-based Everest SUV with 1433 sales. The once-mighty Focus small car found only 356 sales, or 2.25 per cent of the action.