Ford prototypes taking shape in Melbourne

Ford Australia is rehiring former staff to build more prototype versions of its top-selling Ranger for engineering and marketing evaluation.

That’s the word from our sources at Broadmeadows, where Ford Australia continues to lead the development of the global T6 platform that underpins the Ranger, Everest and Ford USA's upcoming Bronco.

Although Ford Australia quit production in October 2016, Ford Asia Pacific’s Australian design and engineering operation continues to employ close to 2000 staff and remains one of a handful of Blue Oval product development teams in the world that can take a vehicle from clean-sheet design to working prototype.

According to our sources, that’s precisely what’s now happening inside Plant 2, where more than 90 former assembly workers have been re-employed to hand-produce T6-based prototypes.

Although Ford Australia told motoring.com.au this week it is not working on building Bronco prototypes, test ‘mules’ have been spotted pounding the pavement inside Ford’s US and Australian proving grounds dressed in Everest body panels.

Ford Australia says it's responsibilities to T6 does not include 'top hats' -- the industry term for the various bodies mated to a set of mechanicals.

The staffing up at Broadmeadows points towards what could be one of the biggest prototype build programs ever undertaken by Ford in Australia. Motoring.com.au understands the pre-production T6 vehicles will be used for both engineering and marketing evaluation purposes.

While the T6 Ranger was designed, engineered and developed by Ford in Australia before its release in 180-plus countries from 2011, the born-again Bronco’s exterior (or ‘top-hat’) is being designed at Ford’s Dearborn HQ outside Detroit.

Ford has committed to releasing the facelifted 2019 Ranger in the US next year, and the Bronco SUV in 2020. Both ladder-frame vehicles will be produced in the same Michigan factory.

Like the Ranger, Australia’s top-selling 4x4 ute, the Bronco will be a global model – meaning it will be produced in both left- and right-hand drive – but it’s yet to be confirmed for Australian release.

Ford Australia president and CEO Graeme Whickman was tight-lipped when we asked him about the re-employment of around 90 assembly staff for the operation. He did, however, confirm former personnel were being rehired to undertake prototype construction work.

“Our employment ebbs and flows and … yes we do employ employees who have worked for us in the past and they will work on different vehicle projects,” he said.

“You know we are the global lead on Ranger and T6 and at times we’ll be looking at prototypes and those require specialist skills. We would always look to our past employees if they still wish to have some employment with us.”

When pressed further, Whickman said the number of staff doing prototype work for Ford in Australia was not unprecedented.

“The cycle plan ebbs and flows and as you work toward certain milestones and certain cadence of vehicles you look for specialist skills… Not unusual,” he said.

“What it indicates quite simply is that we have prototype requirements as we work towards our gateway.

“When we have prototypes we often utilise skills and sometimes we look for some engineering skills or some mechanicals skills to get those prototypes in the right state to prove out design, prove out engineering and capabilities.

“I would say we have prototype development broadly at Broadmeadows as part of the normal product cycle process.”

Unlike the Everest, the Bronco (pictured here in Ford’s first official teaser image) will wear all-new sheetmetal and a boxy retro design, and is expected to be offered in both long-wheelbase four-door form and, perhaps, short-wheelbase two-door guise.

Ford has committed to producing a hybrid version of the Bronco, but other engine options could include everything from a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder to a 2.7-litre turbo V6 and even a twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6 for a potential Raptor version.

Reviving a once-staple Ford SUV nameplate not seen in the Blue Oval’s US showrooms for 20 years, the Bronco was immortalised by the two-door driven by OJ Simpson in a low-speed police chase telecast on live TV in 1994.

Ironically, the bad publicity that surrounded the nameplate during the high-profile trial of Simpson for the murder of his ex-wife Nicole was one of the major reasons for Ford’s decision to axe the Bronco after five generations in 1996.

Apart from the Bronco, Ford has promised to introduce another all-new global SUV by 2020 – this time a compact ‘baby Bronco’ with similar styling, which should take on the Jeep Renegade .

At this stage it’s unclear if either new Ford SUV will be sold in Australia, where the EcoSport, Escape and Everest will be joined in Ford’s SUV line-up by the five-seat Endura later this year and, potentially, a redesigned Explorer seven-seater next year.

While the Everest, which will also be upgraded later this year, will donate its rugged ladder frame to the Bronco, making it a direct rival for Jeep’s new Wrangler, all of Ford’s other SUVs ride on car-like monocoque platforms.