[Auto] 2022 Ford Bronco Warthog Name Appears In E-Mail Sent By Supplier

[Sxynix]

 

The coronavirus pandemic has pushed back the Ford Bronco’s start of deliveries to summer 2021, and getting the Sasquatch package with the manual gearbox further extends the delay to 2022. It’s going to be a long wait for the high-performance version as well considering it hasn’t even been revealed. In the meantime, there’s new evidence regarding the moniker the hi-po Bronco will wear.

A member of the Bronco6G forums received an e-mail from Axis Automation, a Michigan-based supplier involved in the automotive and aerospace industries. The internal e-mail mentions how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the output of components, but the “automotive launch activity remains active for EV and ICE platform."
At this point in the e-mail, the “Warthog” name appears next to Bronco and Ford U725, which represents the codename for the SUV’s sixth generation. Aside from the hotter derivative, the Ford F-150 Electric also shows up in the e-mail, along with several non-Ford models: Subaru XV / Crosstrek and Forester, along with the Rivian electric delivery van for Amazon.

As some of you will recall, Ford filed to trademark “Warthog” back in September and there are also spy shots with a prototype carrying a label that contains the same nameplate. Of course, nothing is official until the Blue Oval confirms it, but evidence in that direction is piling up the closer we get to the world premiere scheduled to take place at some point in 2021.
Regardless of its name, we do know for a fact the speedy Bronco will ride on 37-inch tires and inherit some of the suspension bits from the F-150 Raptor. What lies underneath the hood is a mystery at this point, although some reports indicate it will borrow the twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 from the Explorer ST where it develops 400 horsepower and 415 pound-feet (563 Newton-meters) of torque.

Beyond the performance-oriented Bronco, Ford is expected to further diversify the lineup by launching a hybrid for the 2022 model year. It would have to go up against the Jeep Wrangler 4xe and a yet-to-be-revealed Land Rover Defender plug-in hybrid.