- The Ford Bronco EV is going global after debuting in China earlier this year.
- That’s great news for car buyers everywhere, except for those in the United States.
- One reviewer who drove the Bronco EV said it offers plenty of kit for the price, which starts from around $32,000 in China.
The Ford Bronco is an American icon, but the nameplate is also alive and kicking in China, where Ford is selling an all-electric version. However, despite carrying the legendary nameplate and looking more or less like the Bronco that’s sold stateside, the battery-powered SUV has nothing in common with the American model.
And that’s probably a good thing, as Elliot Richards from the YouTube channel Everything Electric recently found out after driving China’s Ford Bronco EV.
You see, American and Chinese car buyers want different things, and Ford knows it. That’s why it partnered with Jiangling Motors to use a ready-made electric platform that was designed for the Chinese market. That’s the same company that’s making the European-spec Ford Transit City.
Then, the American automaker made a custom body and sourced a huge, 105.4-kilowatt-hour lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery from BYD. Inside, there’s plenty of tech, with a pair of screens and a very snappy infotainment system that makes the American Sync system look ancient.
The electric SUV has a 403-mile CLTC-rated driving range, all-wheel drive, 8.6 inches of ground clearance, and more than decent approach and departure angles, making it a good fit for short trips off the beaten track. But here’s the interesting thing about the Chinese Bronco EV.
As Richards points out, the Chinese buyer wants to know that they can potentially take their car off-road, but ultimately, it will probably spend all of its life on asphalt. That’s not to say the American Bronco is any different—depending on who’s driving it—but the U.S. model was built like an off-roader, and that comes with several trade-offs. Meanwhile, the Chinese Bronco EV is a comfortable long-distance cruiser with snappy acceleration and soft steering.
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Source: Ford
There’s also an extended-range version, which uses a smaller, 43.7 kWh battery and a 1.5-liter gas engine that’s good for 136 miles of driving on electricity (CLTC). This version in particular would probably fare pretty well on the American market, as it eliminates range and charging anxiety, but there’s still the price problem.
In China, the Ford Bronco EV starts from the equivalent of roughly $32,000. In the U.S., a car like it would probably cost at least double, which is not so attractive anymore. But in China, it’s exactly what buyers want today—an electric SUV with off-roading abilities, lots of technology, and cool looks.