Ford Scout could be the name for the baby Bronco?
Europeans associate the name “Scout”, with Skoda’s range of SUVs and rugged wagons. Americans, however, are more familiar with the Jeep-rivalling International Harvester Scout. Based on two trademarks filed recently by Ford, it appears that the “Scout” nameplate could be making a comeback here in North America.
The Blue Oval company discovered that Ford Authority had filed the legal proceedings to obtain the “Bronco Scout”, and “Scout” nameplates from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Although Ford may not use the trademarks, they were filed April 15. This could indicate that Ford is considering using them.
Scout could be used to build the “Baby Bronco,”, which Ford currently calls an off-road version 2020 Escape. It has been confirmed that the smaller of the two SUVs will ride on the same platform (Kuga in Europe) as the Escape, which means that it will share a lot with the not-for–America Focus in its fourth-generation.
Another possible scenario is a rugged trim for the larger Bronco, in the same vein that Skoda offers the Octavia Scout wagon as well as the Kodiaq Scout SUVs and the Karoq with the Octavia Scout SUVs.
The Bronco is Coming Back
Hau Thai-Tang (Ford executive vice president for product development and purchasing), has already revealed plans to reveal the Escape off-road version within six months. According to Thai-Tang’s statement in an interview with the Detroit Bureau, the SUV, nicknamed “Baby Bronco”, will be more boxy than the 2020 Escape. It will also have more ground clearance and a wider track.
The larger Broncos will be available in both two- and four-door versions. It will be built on a body-on frame chassis and an EcoBoost engine that produces approximately 325 horsepower. The transmission is a seven-speed manual. Similar to the Wrangler SUV, it will likely feature removable doors and an attachable roof.
Ford is working on a affordable model as well as a Mustang-esque performance electric SUV.