Next-Gen Ford Bronco Design Revealed in Patent Filings
Ford‘s legal team may have done what no spy photographer could: reveal the next-generation Bronco before the company was ready to show it. Two patent applications filed by Ford in 2025 and published by the USPTO in August 2026 contain detailed drawings of an unnamed SUV that carries unmistakable Bronco DNA — boxy silhouette, upright proportions, removable doors — along with a set of design changes that suggest a meaningful evolution of the formula rather than a wholesale reinvention.
The patents themselves are focused on overlanding features, not design reveals. But the vehicle depicted in the drawings tells its own story. For Bronco fans who’ve been wondering what the 2029 redesign might look like, Ford’s own legal filings may have just answered the question.
What The Patent Drawings Actually Show
The silhouette in the filings is immediately recognizable: tall, boxy, and upright in the way only a Bronco is. Look closer, though, and the differences from the current fourth-generation model start to stack up.
The grille area appears as a flat, largely blank surface — closer in character to the modern Scout Traveler than to the current Bronco’s more sculpted face. At the rear, the beltline uptick that defines the current Bronco’s rear door is now mirrored in the top of the door frame as well, which pinches the rear quarter window into a noticeably narrower shape. The tow hooks have been repositioned lower on the front bumper, integrated into a chunky fascia reminiscent of the current Bronco Raptor setup. And the swing gate — one of the current Bronco’s most distinctive features — appears to be gone, replaced by a more conventional top-hinged liftgate. Critically, that liftgate still appears to be removable, so Ford isn’t abandoning the open-air ethos entirely.
Car and Driver also noted that the proportions in the drawings make the next-gen truck look slightly smaller overall, with tighter rear door openings and reduced wheel arch flare compared to the current model. Whether that reflects a true dimensional change or is simply an artifact of patent illustration is impossible to say from the drawings alone.
The Overlanding Features Ford Actually Filed For
The patents weren’t submitted to preview a new design — they were filed to protect two specific overlanding systems, and the vehicle drawings are incidental to that purpose.
The first application covers a modular door-storage system. When the Bronco’s doors are removed, they can be clipped onto removable support beams stowed in the cargo area, keeping them organized and protected rather than strapped to a roof rack or left at the trailhead. The second patent focuses on sleeping arrangements. Inside, a fold-out platform converts roughly the rear three-quarters of the cabin into a flat surface — useful for a sleeping mat or a full camp setup. On top, Ford envisions a rooftop tent anchored using the hood as a structural support point, with the largest configurations using stabilizing legs that seat into the fender gunwales. Motor1 noted that front-row seatbacks could even flip out to serve as nightstands.
Most of these concepts already exist in the Bronco aftermarket. The difference is factory integration: cleaner fitment, potential warranty coverage, and the ability to spec the whole setup from the dealer rather than piecing it together from multiple suppliers. The comparison to Toyota’s TrailHunter trim — a factory-built overlanding package — is hard to avoid.
Why Ford Won’t Stray Far From What’s Working
Patents are not production commitments. The vehicle in these filings is never identified as a Bronco, and Ford hasn’t said a word publicly about a next-generation model. The actual 2029 Bronco could look entirely different.
That said, the business case for evolutionary rather than revolutionary change is overwhelming. The current Bronco has been one of Ford’s clearest success stories of the decade. It has cleared 100,000 annual U.S. sales every year since launch and set an all-time record of 146,007 units in 2025. Gearheads waited 25 years for the Bronco to come back; Ford isn’t going to alienate that base with a design that abandons what made the revival work.
Before any next-gen model arrives, the current Bronco still has runway. A hybrid variant is expected for the 2027 model year, serving as a bridge between the current generation and whatever comes next. A 2029 debut would give the existing Bronco an eight-year product cycle — standard territory for a modern vehicle with strong sales momentum. The Lincolnbrand is also rumored to be preparing its own upscale off-roader on a similar timeline, which could share platform development with a next-gen Bronco.
For now, what enthusiasts have is a set of patent drawings that Ford’s lawyers filed in good faith — and that the USPTO published for the world to see. It may be the closest look at the 2029 Bronco anyone gets for a while.
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