The official debut of the Ford Bronco is fast approaching and we’re slowly getting a fuller picture of what we’re going to get, thanks to confirmed information from the automaker as well as good old rumours. In the second category we find the possibility that the SUV’s body will be made of aluminum.
These rumours have not been validated by Ford at this point. Still, an official document from the company seems to confirm it. That document is a contract, seen by a member of the Bronco6G online forum, that stipulates that the Bronco’s body panels will be manufactured at Ford’s plant in Dearborn, Michigan. That facility also makes the panels for the F-150, Expedition and Lincoln Navigator.
The use of aluminum is not a slam-dunk certainty, however, because in the case of the Bronco we’re talking about new moulds and new tools, so steel could still be the material of choice. Still, according to experts providing their two-cents worth online, aluminum would seem to be the logical choice for the model.
Add to that the fact that the Bronco’s future natural rival, the Jeep Wrangler, itself uses a number of aluminum components, for instance the removable doors and the hood. An aluminum-clad Bronco would certainly be more fuel-efficient.
We’ll know more very soon, so stay tuned.
