This week, Bronco Nation is at SEMA, the aftermarket parts and accessories trade show, checking out what is new for Bronco. Two interesting items we’ve seen so far are coming directly from Ford and echo elements from the 60th Anniversary Package: a paintable grille kit and new wheels.
We talked to Ryan Christiansen, Vehicle Line Planning Manager, Ford, who worked on these over the last two years.
The Bronco Modular Grille Kit
One key selling point of the Bronco is its modularity. Take things off, bolt others on –– it’s a vehicle that’s easy to turn into something exactly your taste. Since launch, we’ve seen owners swap parts among the trims too: Everglades wheels on an Outer Banks, grab handles and vent clips from orange to blue, even upfitting the Bronco Raptor digital cluster into a pre-2025 trim before it became a feature. The grilles are no different. Trading or purchasing another trim’s grille was easy and a quick way to update the look of your vehicle.
With the new Bronco Modular Grille Kit, Ford is building on that customization factor, plus giving any enthusiast the opportunity to own the first new grille release since 2021: the 60th Anniversary Package design, revealed in August for the 2026 Bronco.
“The grille is something we’ve wanted to do for a while,” said Christiansen. “It’s giving the customer the ability to make their vehicle their own. That’s the whole point of Bronco.”
Raw Potential
The Modular Grille Kit takes the design of the 60th Anniversary Package grille but leaves the color scheme up to you. The best part? It can be retrofitted on any Bronco, from 2021-2025, minus the Raptor since it doesn’t have provisions for the marker lights.
“I haven’t had it tested for Raptor," said Christiansen. "That’s one of the big points about an OEM grille versus an aftermarket one. This is tested to all the standards for our engines. Airflow is a huge deal on this vehicle. And because of the insert structure, there’s more mass along the center bar. So how you break the rest of that to get enough airflow was a bit of a challenge.”
The team persevered, and now we can benefit, even out in the grueling California desert and rocks. “This is tested to our sand loop standard, so you can run this in Johnson Valley, 100-degree weather, all day long. That’s not something you can guarantee with aftermarket.”
The grille comes unpainted but prepped, ready to accept your creative vision. “Primer it, paint it; whichever part you want to paint, whichever way. That’s all on you,” said Christiansen.
There are several areas intended to be painted: the outer bezel surround, the inserts, and the bars spanning above and below the BRONCO lettering, plus the letters themselves. The reason why this is called a kit is because it is one. Unlike factory grilles you can get now as a singular piece, these sections pop in and out and can be painted separately.
“There’s no need to tape for painting, no need to mask off. You assemble it like Legos. Anyone can do it in their garage.”
Christiansen tells Bronco Nation the community has already seen this customization in action, at SEMA 2024 on one of the project vehicles. “We introduced this last year, really. No one realized it. We had it on the Wild Fund Bronco.”
If you don’t want to paint the pieces yourself, you can take it to a dealer or paint shop to be painted. And if you change your mind on the colors a year down the road, then you can take it apart, repaint it or add in different inserts, and put it back together.
Getting The Bronco Modular Grille Kit
The kit will be available early next year, and it can be ordered through your dealer.
And start planning your paint scheme now!
“We will not sell it in color; we’ll only sell it raw,” said Christiansen. “And only as a kit. You’re going to get the surround. You’ll get the inserts. You’ll get the lettering across the front. You’re going to get a camera bezel if you have a camera. You’ll also get the backing plate, and you’ll get the AGS seal.”
New Wheels
One other item that will be available through the dealer channel is a version of the 60th Anniversary Package wheels, this time without the red center cap, and the background done up in bronze instead of the Dark Gravity Gray of the 60th.
Pulling Out the Debit Cards?
Will you be snatching up the grille kit or the wheels? What color scheme is on your mind? Tell us below, and stay tuned for more SEMA Show content!
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