Ford plans Bronco-based pickup, forecast firm says

Ford Motor Co. is planning a pickup based on its upcoming rugged Bronco SUV, according to a forecasting firm that has viewed the automaker's latest product plans.

The vehicle is slated for production in 2024, AutoForecast Solutions told Automotive News. Another source with knowledge of Ford's plans confirmed the vehicle and tentative production date. It would arrive around four years after the Bronco SUV, which is scheduled to go on sale in 2020.

Automobile magazine first reported the plans for a Bronco pickup, citing AutoForecast Solutions and other sources.

The new offering would expand Ford's pickup lineup to five nameplates, along with the F-150, the Super Duty, the Ranger and a yet-to-be-named compact unibody pickup that's expected to arrive a few years from now. Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions, said the Bronco pickup was added to Ford's product plans recently and is likely to be a low-volume, niche product.

It would compete in the same segment and be built on the same body-on-frame platform as the Ranger. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is reportedly considering multiple products in the midsize pickup segment as well, with the Jeep Gladiator and the potential revival of the Dakota nameplate, this time under the Ram brand.

Ford likely will be able to charge a premium for the Bronco pickup based off the nameplate's clout among enthusiasts.

The timing of the vehicle would also give Ford a bargaining chip to offer the UAW in contract negotiations that formally began this week, as it potentially would be built at Ford's Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich. The union is demanding additional U.S. manufacturing investment, among other priorities.

Automotive News reported in March that Ford is planning a family of off-road vehicles, including a compact pickup, though a pickup derived from the Bronco was not among the anticipated nameplates at that time. It's planning two-door and four-door versions of the Bronco that will have a removable hard top and removable doors.

Dealers have been told the Bronco will be available in late 2020, as soon as three months after the crossover that's been referred to as the Baby Bronco, which will share a platform with the 2020 Escape and Lincoln Corsair. The compact unibody pickup isn't expected until at least 2021, according to a source with knowledge of the plan.

A Ford spokesman declined to comment this week, saying the automaker does not discuss speculation about future vehicles.