We had to wait decades for the return of the Ford Bronco SUV, and now we’re going to have to wait a little bit longer. Ford has confirmed to MotorTrend the coronavirus pandemic and its associated chaos has caused a supply-chain issue that will push the 2021 Bronco launch to the end of next summer rather than this coming spring, as originally planned.
A spokesman told us, “Ford is committed to building Broncos with the quality our customers expect and deserve.” Ford declined to name the affected suppliers.
Customers can still build the Bronco of their dreams on Ford’s website—we did!—but official orders from reservation holders are now not being accepted until the middle of January, a delay of approximately a month. Those orders will now be able to be finalized through March 19 rather than at the previous January deadline. (If you’re one of the lucky few who has a reservation—or even if you’re not—check out what to expect in our First Ride review.)
While the big-boy Bronco is delayed, Ford’s launch of the Bronco Sport—a smaller, front-drive-based off-roader that uses the same architecture as the Escape—has been unaffected, and those SUVs are at dealers now.
