Ford plots Australian growth spurt with new hybrid Bronco and electric Transit

Two surprising new electrified models are about to lead a massive product push by Ford Australia.

The new blue oval hero is the Bronco Basecamp, a hybrid SUV that promises a new style of weekend getaways including a cabin that can be transformed into a double bed with a back-door kitchen.

It’s joined by a fully battery-electric Transit City, an urban-focussed vehicle intended to cash-in on the booming demand for short-haul delivery work.

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In addition to the product drive, which includes a Mustang Dark Horse with enhancement by the Triple Eight Supercars team and a stronger emphasis on factory-developed accessory packs for the Ranger Super Duty, Ford is moving on several customer fronts.

It is lifting its standard warranty to seven years – up from five – for vehicles which are serviced within its dealer network, while touting 220 service outlets with 180 dealerships.

Ford promises to more than double its showroom line-up within five years, moving from 30 to 60 per cent of market coverage, as it shifts away from its overwhelming reliance on the Ranger and Everest. Ninety percent of its model range will be new or refreshed by 2030.

“We’re on a growth plan and we’re moving forward. There is more to come,” the president of Ford Australia, Fadi Mawai, told Wheels.

He was speaking at Ford Uncovered, a multi-day event with a six-figure budget intended as a showcase and rallying point for the blue oval brand. The event was staged at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, once the home to major motor shows in Australia, and guests included Ford employees, media, dealer staff and other company insiders.

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Not surprisingly, given their electrification, the roots of the new Bronco and Transit can be traced back to China, and Ford’s long-term technical tie-up with JMC – Jiangling Motors Corporation. Both vehicles sit on a JMC platform, although Ford is claiming considerable Australian development work on the Basecamp and local tweaking for the Evolution.

“It’s built from the campsite out. The destination is part of the design,” is the way Simon Brook, Ford studio design director, described the Bronco Basecamp.

It’s not coming until the second half of 2027, and there was not even a sniff of the price point, but Ford was clear in highlighting the Australian engineering work going into the new hybrid.

It uses a range-extender hybrid package called ’super hybrid’ – similar to Nissan’s e-Power – with a 1.5-litre turbocharged combustion engine that only charges the battery, never driving the wheels. There are twin electric motors for all-wheel drive, a 49kWh drive battery, and another 6.6 kiloWatts of ‘Pro Power Onboard’ to act as a small-scale power station for plug-in accessories.

Ford claims a combined driving range of 800-900 kilometres, although that is yet to be verified.

The range for the Transit Evolution is only 380 kilometres, but the price-tag – $50,000 drive-away – is just as important for the small fleets and government agencies who are targeted buyers. It could easily have been displayed at Ford Uncovered with a double-sided wrap, with Woolworths on one side and Coles on the other.

The specification for the new BEV workhorse includes a single 110 kiloWatt front driving motor, a 56 kiloWatthour battery with lithium-ion phosphate chemistry for fast charging, a payload up to 1085 kilograms and a 10-80 per cent fast-charge time of 33 minutes. First deliveries are planned for November.

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Away from the electric newcomers, Ford also provided details of the T8-Spec Mustang Dark Horse – a go-faster package developed by the Triple Eight team in Supercars racing – price at $138,888 with production capped at 250 cars.

The T8-Spec Pack includes retuned MagneRide suspension, exhaust tips and a sticker pack, and T8 CEO Jamie Whincup told Wheels there had been specific track testing at Queensland Raceway including a front splitter with big handling benefits that is likely to be “delivered in the boot so it doesn’t get damaged”.