Big change in Ford Australia's future? How Australia could benefit from the Blue Oval's new era in Europe that puts more Mustangs, Broncos and Raptors in its future

Ford Australia could be on the verge of a major change, finally reaping the rewards of the Blue Oval’s push for more ‘opinionated’ models like the Mustang, Bronco and Raptor.

It has been a long time coming, with local showrooms missing some of the brand’s most interesting models, namely the Bronco, Bronco Sport and Maverick, but there are signs change is coming.

As long ago as Septmeber 2022 Ford global boss Jim Farley told CarsGuide that models like the Bronco and Bronco Sport could be produced in right-hand drive for Australia under the right circumstances. 

“Mustang is really important to Australia,” Mr Farley told this website at the launch of the latest pony car. “I guess what I’m saying is we really want to be a brand in Australia with opinionated products.”

He added, timing is the key for the other models, namely the Broncos, which were at the peak of their popularity in late 2022.

“We can do Bronco and Bronco Sport for the globe for sure,” he added. “But we have, like, a year or two order bank so we have a lot of work to do on our capacity before we can even consider something like that.”

Now, in a recent interview with the UK’s Car Magazine, Farley has indicated the time may have come for the Bronco, and other models, to go global. Farley made it clear the company feels like it has underperformed in Europe and wants to build up its line-up of his so-called “opinionated” models there.

“We’re getting out of the boring-car business and into the iconic-vehicle business,” Farley told Car. “We’d always competed at the heart of the passenger-car market, which didn’t work out too well for Mondeo, Focus and Fiesta. They were loved by a lot of customers but they could never justify more capital allocation – unlike commercial vehicles.”

The key for Australia’s hopes for this new era of more exciting Fords is the United Kingdom, which is a crucial right-hand drive market. If Ford wants to build models like the Bronco with the steering wheel on the right, it will need to offer it in as many markets as possible and that means pushing it through Australia as well as the UK, South Africa and other right-hand drive countries.

Ford Australia has remained tight-lipped on any possible expansion plans for its product range, particularly with the Bronco, which is ultimately a niche product and therefore needs other markets to support it. However, the success of the Ranger and Everest (which share the same underpinnings as the Bronco) suggests the brand’s local strength is in big, adventurous models and adding an extra option could expand that appeal.

Farley’s comments on Ford’s disappointing performances with mainstream models such as the Focus, Fiesta and Mondeo rings true for the Australian market, where Ford has abandoned not only those models but also the Escape in the popular mid-size SUV segment. Introducing alternatives like the Bronco Sport and Maverick, which are based on the Escape underpinnings, could be a viable option for Ford Australia to establish more “iconic” models locally as well as grow its sales.

While Farley has spoken positively of the Bronco entering right-hand drive production, there has been no formal confirmation from the company yet, so stay tuned for updates.