While it may not make it all the way to New Zealand, the 2021 Ford Bronco has become enormous news in the United States. There, it's expected to grab plenty of nostalgia from fans of previous Broncos, while simultaneously taking aim at the Jeep Wrangler.
We're still probably months away from seeing the Bronco in full, but these spy images give us a pretty solid idea of what to expect.
The two photos were originally published on the bronco6g.com forum by a user called BroncoKing. They show the rear end of the four-door Bronco, as well as the short wheelbase two-door.
In other words, the source of the images should be taken with a grain of salt. But, what we do know is that the vehicle in the images lines up near seamlessly with photos of heavily camouflaged Broncos spotted in the past. It also presents a similar balance of current and retro design compared to Ford's past Bronco concept vehicles.
For those wanting to do a full CSI Miami–style dive into the images, you'll note that the vehicles in shot share the same six-stud wheel pattern [desktop users, hit the 'full screen' button on the bottom left corner], the same rear parking sensor location, and the same center-mounted brake light above the spare tyre as the aforementioned camo'd Broncos.
And the most incriminating thing of all that points to these images being genuine? Well, they've been removed from the forum — supposedly “by request of Ford”.
Read more: Ford (kind of) unveils the 2021 Bronco for the Baja 1000
What else is there to be learned? Well, the Bronco appears to be more Wrangler-orientated than some may have expected. Discussion in the forum thread at the centre of this mentioned that the roof is detachable, a la Wrangler/Gladiator, and that appears to be backed up by how the four-door appears to be constructed in the leaked photo image.
There is one potential glimmer of hope for those wanting a Bronco in New Zealand. It shares the same platform as the American-spec Ford Ranger, which in turn isn't too dissimilar to the Ranger we get here. The fact it shares a platform with Australasia's most popular vehicle, added to the fact that some of the Bronco's development took place in Australia, you'd think might help the cause.
But no ... for the moment the Bronco is slated to only be produced in left-hand drive.