In the past few days, we learned about Ford and their plans to bring in more China-made vehicles to the Philippine market. But over in Australia, that shift is happening much sooner.

The Blue Oval has held the Australian market preview of the Ford Bronco Basecamp – a range-extended large SUV built with Ford’s joint venture partner Jiangling Motors Corporation. If that rings any bells, it’s the same Chinese OEM that Ford has partnered with in making both the first- and second-generation Territory that’s currently being offered in the country.

Unlike the ladder-frame Bronco made in the US, the China-made Bronco Basecamp uses a monocoque chassis and is available in both EV and REEV forms in the PRC. But for the Australian market, the Ford Bronco Basecamp will be offered only with the latter, pairing a 1.5-litre turbocharged gasoline engine with two electric motors.

As the Chinese market leans more towards having intelligent driving features, the Ford Bronco Basecamp is also available with a roof-mounted LiDAR unit with more than 30 high-precision sensors and cameras for the ADAS systems.

Based on the Australian market preview, it’s likely to be offered in the top-spec Outer Banks variant, which also comes standard with an electric pop-up roof that tilts skyward, resembling a rooftop tent that’s usually fitted by aftermarket off-road specialists for SUVs.

The Bronco Basecamp will serve as Ford’s first EREV SUV in Australia, and only the third model to combine gas and electric power after the Ranger PHEV and the Transit Custom van. According to reports, the Ford Bronco Basecamp EREV is scheduled to arrive in Australia by the 2nd half of 2027.

Much like the Philippines, the Australian market leans heavily on the Ranger and Everest for the majority of its sales. With the arrival of the Bronco Basecamp, Ford gets to enter segments that they are yet to compete in.

Based on this development, Ford leveraging its partnerships with Chinese OEMs seems not just to be limited to the Philippine market, but could also be part of its regional strategy that involves Asia and Oceania.