Two Ford patent applications published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office appear to sketch a Bronco-like SUV with a boxy profile, larger grille, vertical tow hooks, and adventure utility engineered directly into the structure. The sleeping-platform patent — filed in February 2025 and published August 13, 2026 as US 2026/0233661 A1 — covers a fold-out interior sleeping surface plus an elevated rooftop tent setup. The second patent addresses modular door storage. Here is what the drawings suggest:
- Removable doors clip onto support beams and stow in the cargo area
- Interior fold-out platform creates a flat sleeping surface; a separate elevated rooftop tent concept is also included
- Larger grille and vertical tow hooks integrated into the front bumper
- Top-hinged liftgate in place of the current rear swing gate — a concept only, not confirmed for production
- Proportions appear slightly smaller than today’s Bronco, with narrower rear door openings and tighter wheel arches
Read This Before You Get Too Excited
The timeline between a patent filing and a showroom is long — and Ford has confirmed nothing.
The current Bronco has been in its revived generation since the 2021 model year. Multiple reports from outlets including Car and Driver and Ford Authority point to a next-gen arrival around late 2029 or 2030 — meaning these patents, if they survive engineering review at all, are years from any dealer lot. Ford is also separately rumored to be weighing a hybrid Bronco around 2028 and a Bronco pickup by the end of the decade, though neither connects directly to these filings. Ford itself has declined to comment, noting it “will not comment on future product speculation.”
Patent applications are exploratory engineering, not product announcements. Think of them less as a trailer and more as a mood board that legal had to file paperwork on. Car and Driver observed that the vehicle in the drawings looks somewhat smaller in proportion than the current model — a detail that may reflect patent-sketch conventions rather than confirmed downsizing.
What the filings do suggest is where Ford’s thinking appears to be headed: camping and storage utility engineered into the vehicle itself, not strapped on as aftermarket add-ons. Given the Bronco’s already-removable doors and roof, that reads as a logical next step for the platform.
If you’re shopping for a Bronco today, buy the one that exists. Mark your calendar for the 2028–2029 product cycle — based on current forecast reports, that’s when the real picture should start developing.
