Trademarks show possible names
Those waiting for a Dodge Hornet may have a long wait. According to analyst Jim Choate, the trademark Hornet was abandoned by Chrysler just over one year ago. In 2010 and 2011, Chrysler also abandoned Liberator (the name of a Jeep concept based on the Ram chassis), ENVI (at one point the electric car group), Laramie Prospector, Laramie Western Sky, Ouray, and Trazo.
However, Chrysler applied for a trademark on Ram 5500 Long-Hauler and for Yellow Jacket, both in August 2011.
Chrysler also registered the name Cuda in late 2010, but this may have been to support a concept; Jeep Arctic; and Aria, which may end up being the name of the B-sized Dodge. Odd names, registered for “automobiles, their structural parts, trim and badges,” were Oscar and Red Blooded American. One odd renewal was for New Yorker, which was used for many years on upper Chryslers.
Chrysler also still has rights to Scamp and Demon, which were, respectively, the Plymouth version of the Dodge Dart Swinger and the Dodge version of the Plymouth Duster — both two-door versions of the Plymouth Valiant (the Dart had a longer wheelbase).
The names Torqueflite and SixPack were renewed; Selec-Speed was registered for an off-road speed controller; and Tripcast for “sharing of data relating to vehicle location.”
The AMC logo was renewed for die-cast scale model replicas of vehicles.
Trademark registration is not a guarantee that a name will be used; the process of acquiring a trademark is surprisingly slow and some names may be acquired and abandoned as plans change. Some names may be registered for trim lines rather than new models (e.g. Latitude) and some may be reserved for concept cars. Torqueflite and SixPack were most likely renewed for use with Mopar’s restoration and performance parts lines.
