Ford isn't just bringing back the legendary Bronco — it's making it into a dedicated off-roading brand

• Prior to next week's reveal of the all-new Ford Bronco, the carmaker announced the that the SUV would return as a brand, with a family of vehicles.
• The new Bronco will arrive as a two-door, four-door, and Sport model.
• Ford is also launching a series of off-road adventures for Bronco owners and an online community.
• The Bronco brand follows the launch of the Mustang Mach-E last year — the first expansion of the Mustang brand in Ford's history.

Ahead of the next week's much-anticipated reveal of the all-new Bronco SUV, Ford on Monday announced that the nameplate would return not just as a vehicle, but as an entire brand.

The new Bronco two-door, directly evoking the icon that was discontinued in the mid-1990s, will be joined by a four-door and also by a Bronco Sport, a smaller SUV. (The two-door and four-door will be assembled in the US, while the Sport will be bolted together at a Ford factory in Mexico — and while the two- and four-doors will be body-on-frame designs, the Sport will be a unibody vehicle.)

Ford is calling it a Bronco family, under the tagline "Built Wild." The lineup, which had been widely speculated upon, had been slated for a launch at the 2020 Detroit auto show in June, an event that was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The carmaker touted the vehicles' four-wheel-drive credibility, spotlighting planned "Bronco Off-Roadeos" for owners, in 2021 "with experiences designed to build confidence and inspire Bronco owners to get out in the wild for years to come," Ford said in a statement.

The new Broncos will also live online as "Bronco Nation," an "independent online community that elevates the excitement of owning an all-new Bronco or Bronco Sport," Ford added.

"Rugged vehicles are in our heritage and we see strong growth opportunities with this ever-more popular segment," Kumar Galhotra, Ford's President for the Americas and international markets, said in a statement. "The Bronco brand meets that need by creating a family of truly capable off-roaders to take our customers further into the wild."

In an interview with Business Insider, Galhotra said, that "customers are extremely passionate about Bronco brand," and that compelled Ford to spend a lot of time thinking about how to participate in this SUV segment.

"We could offer a family of vehicles to provide more choice," he added, "and create value for the company. So we chose to go for it."

Last week, Ford and Disney announced the Bronco would be revealed in prime time, during June 13 broadcasts on several Disney networks, as well as via Ford's own online channels.

Ford has been expanding the range of products available under its best-known brands. Last year, the company unveiled its Mustang Mach-E, a forthcoming all-electric vehicle that's the first expansion of the Mustang brand in Ford's history.