Flurry of Trademark Applications Points to Ford Ranger Trim Buffet
Do you find yourself wishing Ford turned up the heat on the Ranger pickup, perhaps offering customers a choice of powerplants and greater diversity in appearances? You’re likely in luck.
According to U.S. trademark applications filed late this month, the Blue Oval has just gotten started with its new midsizer, though anyone waiting patiently for the Raptor variant already offered overseas will have to remain on ice.
Ford wants the names Wildtrack, Badlands, and Adrenaline added to its corporate word bin. It’s a no-brainer where the automaker intends those monikers to land — as Ford Authority (which uncovered the filings) notes, Ford already sells a Ranger Wildtrack in Australia and parts of Africa, where the model fills the trim space between XLT and Raptor.
Like Ram’s 1500 Rebel, the Ranger Wildtrack differentiates itself with a trim-specific grille, adding larger wheels and appearance goodies for good measure. In those markets, the Wildtrack comes only in 4×4 crew cab guise. As for Badlands, rival General Motors attempted to secure a trademark for the butchy name a few years back, then gave up on the effort. Don’t bisons roam freely in the Badlands? One wonders if, in the absence of the Raptor, Ford wants to upgrade the Ranger’s off-road chops to do battle with Chevrolet’s Colorado ZR2 and ZR2 Bison.
“Adrenaline,” one can assume, heralds a sportier — and perhaps more powerful — Ranger variant, though Ford hasn’t breathed an official word about additional engines supplementing the pickup’s stock 2.3-liter turbo four. The variant had better boast 1990s-style graphics…
Other trademark filings cropped up in July, among them applications for Bronco Sport and Mach 1. Perhaps Ford still plans to give its upcoming electric sport crossover a blasphemous name, or maybe it just needs to keep Mach 1 in the company fold for heritage preservation. As for Bronco Sport, the moniker joins Bronco Scout in the Ford trademark club. Whether it lands on the unibody, Escape-based version or the real BOF deal remains to be seen.
[Images: Ford]
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Ford Ranger Adrenaline - If You're Not Breathing Heavy, You're not Doing it Right. (TM) ;-)
“Adrenaline,” one can assume, heralds a sportier — and perhaps more powerful — Ranger variant, though Ford hasn’t breathed an official word about additional engines supplementing the pickup’s stock 2.3-liter turbo four. The variant had better boast 1990s-style graphics… Wasn't that 1990s package called Splash? I want my neon graphics, flareside bed and extra bright paintjobs back. AFAIK the Adrenaline was only offered in Explorer and Explorer Sport Tracs from the late 2000s.