Ford has gone on a trademarking spree in New Zealand and Australia
Ford's brand-defining new model attack has officially landed in New Zealand and Australia, with the auto giant going on a trademarking spree to secure six model names for our market.
The news follows a huge Ford reveal earlier this month, with the brand in the USA unveiling a US$5 billion push into the EV space via a "Universal EV Platform" that will spawn a series of affordable vehicles.
Not just a platform, but an assembly process, too. Ford's announcement promised cheaper, faster and less parts-heavy production, which would flow on as savings to customers.
First will be a circa US$30,000 pickup truck with four doors and a focus on passenger and tray space.
And now Ford in New Zealand has been on a trademarking spree, securing the names 'FUZE', 'HIVE', 'MYTHIC', 'FATHOM', 'MONDEO EVOS' and 'RANCHERO' for our market.
It's that last name that is most of interest, given that the trademark application specifically refers to 'pick-up trucks' among its potential uses, and that it is the name of an old US car-based pickup, discontinued in the late 1970s, which blended car-like comfort with ute-like practicality.
While Fuze, Hive, Mythic and Fathom have all been touted as Ford's future EV product, the Evos is also of interest, given its already been applied to a model, and one that has global potential.
Built in China as a partnership between Ford and Changan, the Ford Evos crossover SUV was renamed the Mondeo Sport in China last year, so whether this new trademark means a new Evos is coming, or that the Mondeo Sport could retain the Evos name in some international markets, remains to be seen, as Ford applied for trademarks on Evos and Mondeo Evos in Australia.
As far as the Ranchero goes, Ford's first Universal EV Platform vehicle – the four-door mid-size ute – will roll out of Ford's Louisville Kentucky pant in 2027, with a price that would equate to roughly $50,000 here.
Finally, a word of caution — not all trademarks materialise into actual product, and brands have been known to secure names in international markers they have no intention of launching in. What this trademarking spree turns into? We'll have to wait and see.
- Andrew Chesterton, contributing journalist