Report: Ford Will Make a "Splash"
Our corporate siblings have stumbled across a patent application filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that seems to suggest Ford will be bringing back the “Splash” name.
It could be set for use with either the Ranger and/or the all-new Maverick.
The application says it’s for: “Motor vehicles, namely, automobiles, pick-up trucks, electric vehicles, sport utility vehicles, off-road vehicles, and their structural parts; vehicle equipment package consisting of wheels, exterior body parts and seats”.
That latter part suggests to us that the Splash will be a street-performance truck like it was as part of the Ranger line back in the ’90s. It could also be electrified in some way. Then again, the application also lists off-road and SUV use.
Maybe Splash will become a package or trim offered across the Ford lineup, perhaps as a street-performer (maybe hybrid or EV) in some cases and more off-road oriented in others?
We shall see. But with the return of Maverick and now the report of the use of the name Splash, everything old is really starting to feel new. Trends really are cyclical, eh?
[Image: Ford]
Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.
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Wondering where the trademark for "Splash" in Europe wound up. Suzuki sold a Splash until 2014 in Europe, but that vehicle was also sold as a Vauxhall and Opel (at the time GM). With the 1.2 it was actually a great little car; it didn't sell as well as it should have given it drove well, handled well, sipped fuel and was relatively well designed inside at a bargain price.
Industry-first factory in-bed Jacuzzi?
One of those "fun" names by which manufacturers try to make people feel nicer feelings about low-end trims, usually by adding interesting colors and a flashy appearance option or two. So what's it going to be? A base Maverick with flashy wheels and wetsuit-material upholstery? A base Ranger with body-color bumpers and a small factory lift? Those are the sort of products you'd expect. It sure won't be a $60k trim of the F-150.
Not sure you want to be splashing around an EV.