Report: 2021 Ford Bronco Sport Production Is Delayed Until September

Ford originally slated production to begin in July, according to new reports

We have seen recent spy shots that give away what the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport will look like. [Photos: TFLcar]

The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport is set to debut along with its big brother this year, but lockdowns due to COVID-19 have disrupted the production schedule. According to industry suppliers speaking to Automotive News, the company has to shift production by two months due to the ongoing health crisis.

Those suppliers said parts were supposed to ship this month. The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport will be produced at the Hermosillo, Mexico assembly plant, and that production was supposed to start on July 13, 2020. Now, the automaker reportedly pushed back that date to September 7.

While we will (understandably) have to wait until late summer to officially see the Bronco Sport, we have plenty of information to chew on now. We know the new model will ride on the same platform as the Ford Escape. Recently, we learned with relative certainty it will share the Escape’s engines as well, including a 1.5-liter three-cylinder and 2.0-liter four-cylinder unit, depending on the model. Several trims will be available, including the Badlands, Big Bend, Outer Banks and First Edition models. Buyers can choose from ten different exterior colors, as well.

There are still a few question marks remaining, one of which is price. We suggested the Bronco Sport will likely run somewhere around the same price as the Jeep Renegadei.e. it should start somewhere in the low-$20,000 range — to effectively compete. Whether it will have the same eight-speed automatic transmission we can get in the Escape is also likely, but not a complete certainty at the moment.

Will it make an auto show debut?

Normally, we’d cover the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport at its auto show reveal. However, since the New York Auto Show was cancelled and the North American International Auto Show isn’t happening this summer in Detroit either, you may be able to see it in person sometime this fall. If the rescheduled New York Auto Show takes place in August, that’s where it will most likely make an appearance.

Of course, the Bronco Sport isn’t Ford’s only big product launch this year. Far from it — the automaker also plans to reveal or launch the all-new Bronco, next-generation F-150 and Mustang Mach-E. Thanks to the current uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus in the U.S., those may be pushed back as well.