Lincoln, Ford’s long-simmering luxury brand, is reportedly cooking up something that could finally give it a real pulse. Sources told Autoweek that the brand is developing a body-on-frame SUV based on the Ford Bronco’s architecture, aimed squarely at stealing sales from the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, Land Rover Defender, and Range Rover. The target launch window is somewhere around 2029 or 2030.
The proposed two-row model would be built at Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant alongside the Bronco itself. It would share the Bronco’s underlying T6 platform but wear Lincoln’s smoother, more formal design language, drawing cues from the Navigator and Aviator rather than the Bronco’s squared-off trail look.
Think softer surfaces, a refined grille treatment, a cabin drowning in sound insulation and premium materials, and a suspension tuned to coddle rather than conquer Moab. How exactly Lincoln plans to turn a rowdy, roof-optional off-roader into a hushed chariot for wealthy buyers remains to be seen, but the bones are solid.
The current Bronco rides on a 116.1-inch wheelbase and stretches 189.5 inches long, giving it a footprint similar to the Lincoln Nautilus. A Lincoln derivative would likely keep those general proportions while piling on luxury. Under the hood, expect one of Ford’s twin-turbo V6 engines, either the 300-horsepower 2.7-liter from the standard Bronco or the Raptor’s 418-horsepower 3.0-liter.
Pricing would need to thread a careful needle. The Navigator already starts just under $95,000, while a Range Rover opens above $115,000 and the G-Class stretches past $150,000. The Defender is the most accessible of the trio at $63,000 for the base four-cylinder, though its supercharged V8 version climbs to nearly $120,000. There’s a gap in there for Lincoln to exploit.
Because a next-generation Bronco isn’t expected until around the 2031 model year, and body-on-frame platforms allow for more incremental updates than unibody designs, Lincoln’s SUV could share components with either the current Bronco or an updated bridge version leading into the next generation.
Lincoln CEO Joaquin Nuno-Whelan has said recently that Ford is prepared to spend billions to make Lincoln viable and push the brand in a more emotional, exciting direction. Right now the lineup consists of the compact Corsair, which is in its final model year and hobbled by tariffs due to Chinese production, the midsize Nautilus, the three-row Aviator, and the big Navigator. None of them exactly set the world on fire.
A rugged luxury SUV could be the statement piece Lincoln desperately needs. The brand has solid design language and a cool naming convention, but it’s been getting steamrolled by competitors who keep raising the bar. A Bronco-based off-roader would give Lincoln something genuinely different to talk about, a vehicle with real mechanical credibility that could compete with Europe’s most aspirational nameplates.
There’s more smoke coming from Michigan Assembly Plant, too. AutoGuide’s sources independently indicated Ford is exploring a Bronco-based pickup truck, something akin to Jeep’s Wrangler-to-Gladiator formula. That could come at the expense of the Ford Ranger, which has struggled to find its footing between the F-150 and Maverick. There’s also talk of bringing Ford’s Everest SUV, currently built in Thailand and sold in Southeast Asia and Oceania, to the American market from the same facility.
None of this is confirmed. But when multiple credible outlets start hearing similar rumblings about the same plant within the same two-week window, it strongly suggests Ford is actively reshuffling its product strategy at Michigan Assembly. The luxury off-road segment is booming, and Lincoln sitting on the sidelines with nothing but pavement-oriented crossovers doesn’t make much business sense when the Bronco’s platform is right there, ready to be dressed up.
If Lincoln can pull this off without sanding away the Bronco’s fundamental toughness, it might finally have a vehicle worthy of the attention the brand has been craving for years.
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