Ford and Washtenaw Community College will build a student-designed Bronco live at SEMA 2026

At this year's SEMA Show, Ford is turning vehicle customization into a live, hands-on experience. Attendees will use the Ford Custom Garage 3D configurator onsite to design their dream Ford Bronco with Ford Accessories and Ford Racing Parts in the inaugural Ford Custom Garage Ultimate Build Competition, and six Washtenaw Community College (WCC) students will then bring the winning design to life on the show floor. The Bronco is built live in Ford's booth before it is revealed on the final day of the show. Ford calls that show-floor build the headline moment and the reason the program matters.

The SEMA build is the capstone of a semester-long experience Ford created with WCC. Across eight weekly sessions from September through October, Ford colleagues and industry partners showed students how ideas move from concept to customer and introduced the careers that make that work possible. The Ford Speaker Series covered the aftermarket and dealer business, product development, design, hands-on customization, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) personalization, the business behind Ford Customization and marketing for SEMA, with professionals from design, engineering, accessories, operations and marketing. Ford also loaned two Bronco SUVs and gave tools to the class, so students could inspect, diagnose, disassemble, install and problem-solve on real vehicles with guidance from instructors and working professionals.

Ford frames the investment around a US skilled-trades gap: according to a new report, "The Alliance for America's Skilled-Trades: A National Report," supported by BlackRock, Carhartt, Ford and Google, more workers are aging out of skilled-trades jobs than are entering them. The six students were selected through a competitive application process, and their interests range from collision repair and refinishing to electrical systems, performance upgrades, custom fabrication and mechanical engineering; they represent a broader WCC learning community that took part in the semester's classes, vehicle work and speaker sessions. Ford says the winning Bronco will show what students can accomplish when they have access to real vehicles, current tools, relevant instruction and working professionals who can connect their skills to future careers. The company ties the program to Ford Custom Garage, its personalization offer of Ford-engineered, tested and warranty-backed packages, and to its view that the customer relationship continues after purchase through parts, accessories, service and expertise.