Ford confirms first China-built local models, with Transit City due in November

Ford’s China-sourced shift is now official

Ford Australia has confirmed that two Chinese-built models will join its local line-up: the Transit City electric van and the Bronco Basecamp extended-range SUV. The pair were presented at Ford’s Uncovered event in Melbourne, with Ford Australia president and CEO Fadi Mawal framing them as part of a broader effort to widen the brand’s reach beyond its current core of Ranger and Everest. The move also marks the first time Ford Australia has explicitly brought China into its sourcing strategy for local models, with the vehicles produced through long-time partner Jiangling Motors Corporation in Nanchang. ¹²³⁶

Transit City details: timing, range, load and price

Transit City is the first of the two arrivals and is scheduled to reach Australian dealerships from November, with customer deliveries to begin in the same month. Ford says the one-tonne battery-electric van uses a lithium iron phosphate battery and claims up to 254km of combined driving range, rising to as much as 380km in urban-only use. Ford also quotes DC charging from 10 to 80 per cent in 33 minutes, along with a 10-minute fast-charge gain of about 68km. The van is said to offer up to 6.4 cubic metres of cargo space, a maximum payload of 1085kg, and equipment including adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, keyless start and air-conditioning. ¹²³⁶

Ford has set a recommended drive-away price of $50,000 for Transit City. CarExpert reported that this places it only $10 above the Farizon V7E at $49,990 drive-away, while the LDV eDeliver 5 is currently offered from $47,990 drive-away to ABN holders under a discount from its standard $52,621 drive-away price until September 30. Those figures were reported as drive-away pricing by CarExpert, not list prices before on-road costs. ²⁶

Bronco Basecamp confirmed for 2027

The Bronco Basecamp is the other confirmed China-sourced model, with Ford targeting Australian introduction in the second half of 2027. Ford says the vehicle will be an extended-range electric vehicle rather than the ladder-frame Bronco architecture sold in North America, and that it will use a petrol engine to generate electricity when needed. Ford has described the system as its first ‘super hybrid extended range’ electrified powertrain, while local specifications remain to be finalised and a combined driving range target of 800km to 900km is being pursued. ¹²³⁶

Ford has not announced pricing or equipment details for Bronco Basecamp. The model is also said to include Pro Power Onboard vehicle-to-load functionality, while selected variants may feature a pop-up electric roof, fully flat-folding seats with an available mattress, integrated lighting and charging points, and a tailgate-mounted ‘wild kitchen’. Those items were described by Ford as part of the model’s development direction, but they are not yet locked in as confirmed Australian local specifications. ²³⁶

Why Ford says it is broadening its line-up

Ford Australia says the two additions form part of a wider response to a market that is changing rapidly through electrification and new-brand entry. Fadi Mawal said Ford currently competes in only about 30 per cent of Australia’s new-car market and wants to lift that to more than 60 per cent within three years, while aiming for more than 90 per cent of its volume to be all-new or significantly refreshed by the end of 2030. GoAuto’s market insight also showed how sharply the market has shifted, with Chinese-branded makes taking a far larger share of August 2026 sales than a year earlier and Ford’s own August volume falling to 4816 units from 8002 in August 2025. ¹³⁴

Separate market data published by Xinhua and GoAuto underlines the context in which Ford is making this move. Xinhua reported that battery-electric vehicles accounted for 24.9 per cent of Australian new-vehicle sales in August, while GoAuto said Chinese-built vehicles represented about 40.3 per cent of the market that month and Chinese brands around 31.5 per cent. GoAuto also noted that BYD had climbed to second place among brands and that Tesla’s China-sourced Model Y led the market in August, showing how quickly the balance of power has shifted toward Chinese-made electric and plug-in models. ⁵⁴

Chery’s response and the broader sourcing picture

Chery Australia chief operating officer Lucas Harris said Ford had little alternative but to consider China-built models if it wanted to remain competitive. Speaking to CarExpert at the Everything Electric show in Sydney, Harris said he did not think Ford had ‘choice’ in the matter and argued that established brands with strong local reputations would need to keep adapting. Ford Australia marketing director Ambrose Henderson told CarExpert that the company was focused on using its global network to secure the right products for Australian customers, wherever those vehicles are made. ⁶²

CarExpert also reported that Ford said both new models had gone through its standard validation and would strengthen the brand rather than dilute it. Mawal said Ford’s aftersales capability, supported by a seven-year warranty, and the company’s century-long local presence would underpin the new arrivals. The wider industry context is that many other brands already sell Chinese-built vehicles in Australia, but Ford’s announcement is notable because it brings that sourcing approach into its own badge range rather than only through competitors. ⁶²