Bronco is expected to play an increasingly larger role in Ford Motor Co.'s portfolio as the automaker bets on the high-margin off-road segment, according to an industry forecaster.

A Lincoln SUV is expected to be built off the Bronco platform at Wayne's Michigan Assembly Plant starting in the summer of 2029, and a Bronco-styled midsize truck is slated to replace the Ranger at that same plant that fall, according to AutoForecast Solutions LLC, a consulting firm obtaining details from industry sources. Ford hasn't confirmed the product plans, which are always subject to change until launch.

"Ford has been siloing the Broncos as sport utility vehicles and then the trucks," said Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions. "The Bronco has done well. They are potentially playing off that success and moving over to the pickup side to help Ford expand that share."

The Dearborn, Michigan, automaker has said it will refresh 80% of its North American portfolio by volume by 2029. That includes the new Ford Fathom midsize pickup, the first vehicle to be built off the new Universal Electric Vehicle platform. Additionally, Ford has said it will launch the next-generation F-150 and F-Series Super Duty trucks.

"We are not going to comment on future product speculation, much of which is inaccurate," Ford spokesperson Mike Levine said in a statement, declining to specify what is inaccurate in recent media reports.

Dealers recently shared that Ford also showed a four-door Mustang starting around $40,000 earlier this month at a brand meeting in Las Vegas. A product plan also called for a crossover based on the UEV platform, the dealers said. Ford at the end of 2025 ended production of the Escape and Lincoln Corsair crossovers, leaving that segment empty, and AutoForecast Solutions doesn't have Mexican production of the Bronco Sport SUV continuing beyond the fall of 2028. A previous plan for a model imported from elsewhere to replace that, however, is unlikely due to tariffs, Fiorani said.

"It doesn’t make sense at this point," he said. "Finding a new place to put that name is likely in Ford’s plan."

Meanwhile, a Bronco pickup could help energize a segment that hasn't garnered the passionate product image Ford has been leaning into with its subbrands: F-Series, Mustang and Bronco. Ranger sales fell 2.4% year-over-year last month, and in 2025, the company sold less than 71,000 of the trucks in the midsize market where the Toyota Tacoma dominates. There were almost 275,000 Tacomas sold last year.

"The image of the Bronco is strong. The image of the Ranger is not," Fiorani said. "If it takes on the styling of the Bronco and the name of the Bronco, it has a better chance of increasing market share and taking on the Tacoma."

Bronco badging could increase awareness of Ford's midsize truck. It's already proved its ability to chip away at dominant players like the Jeep Wrangler — the Bronco outsold the Jeep Wrangler in three out of the last four months, according to Ford.

Jeep tried adopting its iconic off-roader to the midsize truck market with the Gladiator. Although sales rebounded to 57,000 trucks last year, it's underperformed since its 2019 launch.

"The Gladiator is more of a lifestyle truck," Fiorani said. "Whereas this is likely to be more of a direct replacement for the Ranger."

Automotive News first reported on the Bronco pickup.

On the Lincoln side, the luxury brand could use a boost. U.S. sales are down almost 13% year-over-year through July. While Land Rover traditionally has captured a premium off-road audience, the Mercedes-Benz Group's G-Class has had record-breaking sales, and Volkswagen AG's Audi and BMW AG are bringing off-road offerings to market.

"Everybody is moving up into the rugged upper market," Fiorani said. "It’s a ripe market for a more profitable model. Lincoln has access to a very good truck to base their model on for Ford to go in that direction."

He added that the model appears to be separate from a Lincoln Nautilus replacement. The automaker said earlier this month it's phasing out production in China for the U.S. market and will expand U.S. manufacturing for the brand starting in 2030.

Autoweek first reported on the Bronco-based Lincoln.

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