2021 Ford Bronco aims to kick some Jeep

“There is nothing on this truck that is superfluous - no decorative chrome or extraneous styling. It's designed for function, not fashion,” explained Paul Wraith, chief designer for Ford's much-anticipated 2021 Bronco. “Super-short overhangs for aggressive approach, departure and breakover angles. Slim ‘hips’ for off-road agility. Everything is exactly where you need it. Getting that stuff right is harder than you think,” he admitted.

To create the much-anticipated U725 (as the new 2- and 4-door Bronco is known internally and by suppliers), Wraith and his team decided to veer outside of Ford's traditional product-development process. It was the only way to execute the program's broad scope and unique requirements. “As we developed the truck, we invented a new human-centered methodology,” Wraith told media ahead of Bronco's July 13 unveiling. “We made low-fidelity models out of foam-core packing materials which drove our [prototype] shops crazy,” he said. “And we ended up skipping a whole bunch of typical studio processes. This stirred things up quite a bit.”