There’s An Electric Ford Bronco. But You Can’t Have It.

• This China-only model wearing the Ford Bronco name will be available in EREV and EV form.
• It is made by Ford’s Chinese joint venture partner, Jiangling Motors (JMC).
• The EREV model will be powered by a 1.5-liter engine and a 43.7 kWh battery. The EV will get a 105.4 kWh battery.

It’s MIIT day in China, folks. Short for the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, registering your production intent design and specifications is one of the last steps a manufacturer must take to sell a vehicle in China, but it also tends to blow the lid on a bunch of exciting upcoming vehicles. Today, during a flurry of EV news, Ford unveiled the Bronco EV and EREV. Ford decided to head off the unflattering patent-style MIIT photos and released a few details and photos to Chinese media.

Essentially, take a pinch of the Bronco Sport and add a dash of BYD batteries, and you’ll get this thing. But while both the truck-based Bronco and Bronco Sport crossovers are gas-only affairs, this thing is only available as an extended-range EV (EREV), or full electric vehicle (EV).It’s not clear how much the China-market Bronco has in common with most other Ford products sold around the world. It’s clearly not the North American market Bronco we get here. This is a model made by the brand’s joint venture partner, Jiangling Motors (JMC). In some markets, Ford sells restyled versions of JMC gas-powered products under its own brand. If you’ve been around the world and seen a Ford Territory, Ford Equator, or Ford Equator Sport they’re technically JMC products.

Photo by: Ford

Still, this thing looks pretty slick. Its exterior styling seems to marry some elements of both the car-based Bronco Sport and the full-fat Bronco. The front is smooth, and the body feels more crossover-like than the upright design of the regular Bronco. Yet the rear of the crossover appears to have a side-swinging tailgate like the standard Bronco. Overall, though, it does kind of look like a more streamlined version of the Bronco Sport.

Photo by: Ford

Still, it doesn’t look like this will ever be confused for the Bronco Sport, though. Aside from the fact that the Bronco Sport doesn’t exist in China, that crossover is decidedly in the compact realm. This electrified Bronco is 77 inches wide and 197 inches long, nearly identical in dimensions to the Kia EV9. In China, this is competing in the medium to large EV or EREV segment; this ain’t a Tesla Model Y fighter.

Photo by: Ford

The EREV version uses a 43.7 kWh battery, good for 136 miles (220 km) of full EV driving, according to China’s CLTC testing cycle. The EREV version has a 1.5-liter turbo engine made by JMC, and taken from the Ford Equator and Equator Sport. The EV version uses a 105.4 kWh battery, good for 403 miles of range (650 km), once again according to China’s CLTC cycle. Other than that, we still won’t know the exact details on power or output until the car goes on sale. We don’t even know if it has one motor or two.

It’s unfortunate that this car is a China-only affair. Whether it’s EV or EREV, this car is both styled and sized to be a hit here in America. A fully-electric big SUV from Ford would stand out.

I understand that this is likely meant to help Ford turn its business around in China. It only sells the Mustang Mach-E as its lone EV in China, and it’s never really done well. But, as impressive as the Bronco looks, it’s entering a very crowded field. This EV or EREV Bronco is going up against a fleet of Fangchengbao (BYD) and Jetour (Chery) SUVs that look similar to this and are likely cheaper. Then, there’s Li Auto–the EREV king in China that dominates sales charts with SUVs that are about the same size as this Bronco.

This Bronco is expected to go on sale in China this winter. We’ll see how it does against its domestic competitors.

Contact the author: Kevin.Williams@InsideEVs.com