Mysterious Ford Bronco SUV Spotted Testing In China

The current, sixth-generation Ford Bronco launched in China a little over a year ago, sporting very minor differences compared to its American counterpart – though it is built locally by Jiangling Ford, a joint venture between FoMoCo and Jiangling Motors. Ford also debuted its very own off-road park in China last November as a way to help further promote its various off-road-focused vehicles in that market, where visitors can experience the Ford Bronco, Ford Ranger, and Ford F-150 Raptor in a unique setting, along with a variety of outdoor recreational activities. Now, it seems as if another Ford Bronco model of some type might be joining them, too.

Recently, the Chinese website Autohome spotted this mysterious Ford Bronco SUV-like model testing in that country, and it’s somewhat difficult to make out what, exactly, it might be. It looks a lot like the Ford Bronco Sport in many ways, which would be notable given the fact that the rugged crossover is currently only sold in North and South America. The headlights and side mirrors look much like the ones present on the existing Bronco Sport, but there is an exhaust system out back, so it’s likely not an electric vehicle of any sort.

It would make perfect sense for Changan Ford – the automaker’s other joint-venture in China – to build the Bronco Sport locally for that market as a way to circumvent tariffs, and it presumably would be pretty easy to do, too.

After all, the Bronco Sport rides on the C2 platform that’s shared with the Ford Edge L and Lincoln Nautilus already produced by Changan Ford that are on sale in China (and in the case of the Nautilus, exported to the U.S.), and the crossover is slated to continue riding on that same platform through 2030, too. However, for now at least, this is pure speculation, and it’s unclear what, exactly, we might be looking at.