Ford Battles Chinese Bronco Copycats By Officially Selling One

Many Chinese brands have tried to mimic the Ford Bronco for their home market, such as Jetour with the Traveler and Great Wall Motor (GWM) with the Haval Cool Dog. Chinese off-road enthusiasts will finally get the real deal approved by the Blue Oval company through the Jiangling-Ford joint venture.

Looking at the details leaked through China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the Chinese-spec Ford Bronco only has a few differences compared to the US-spec version.

The off-roader does have a "FORD" wordmark on the top left corner of the Bronco badge on the grille and Chinese letterings on the tailgate - both should be enough to tell the US and Chinese versions apart.

We can also see a few differences in dimensions, probably because of equipment, but the wheelbase remains at 116.1 inches. The off-roader also has 5,046 lbs of curb weight and 45-degree approach and 37-degree departure angles.

In the engine department, the Chinese Bronco will use a locally-produced (by Changan Ford Motor Co., Ltd.) 2.3-liter turbocharged inline-four engine that makes 271 horsepower and 336 lb-ft torque. These are lower than the 300 hp of the US-spec 2.3-liter EcoBoost but have higher torque.

No gearbox option was revealed, but reports from China indicated that it's coming with an eight-speed automatic transmission, as opposed to the 10-speed slushbox in America.

So far, only the base four-door version will be available in the Chinese market, leaving out higher-end trims like the Bronco Raptor with the 418-horsepower 3.0-liter V6. China also joins the US and Europe as the markets to offer Ford's iconic off-roader, and the official one this time.

The Ford Bronco production is expected to commence in the Jiangxi Province in China next year. With a domestic production set, the starting price compared to imports would be lowered from 700,000 yuan (or around $96,000) to 300,000 yuan ($41,200), according to Car News China.