A storm is brewing between Ford and Mazda over the use of the Thunder name in Australia for special edition utes.
The Ford Ranger Thunder – a limited edition variant offered overseas – may be ruled out for Australia after the Blue Oval brand backed away from using the badge locally amid a name clash with ute rival Mazda.
Australian trademark filings from July 2022 showed Ford was preparing to launch a Thunder variant of the new Ranger locally.
Now doubt has been cast on the Ford Ranger Thunder, and it could have something to do with the Mazda BT-50, which offers a Thunder model of its own.
Ford has withdrawn its trademark for the Ranger Thunder name in Australia – less than four months after filing to protect it with the Federal Government, and having the application accepted by authorities.
Drive first reported on the Ford Ranger Thunder on 7 July 2022 after trademarks surfaced in North America – with an identical application filed in Australia just five days later, on 12 July 2022.
With the Thunder name registered for other Ford utes including the Maverick and F-150, it was reported the company could be developing rugged off-road variants with electrified powertrains – either purely-electric or hybrid.
MORE: 2023 Ford Ranger Lightning electric ute trademarked
Now, Drive has discovered the Australian filing for the Ford Ranger Thunder was withdrawn in recent weeks due to an “applicant request”.
Despite being pulled in this region, Ford Ranger Thunder trademarks are still registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the Canadian Trademarks Database.
“Ford Australia submits trademark applications for various brand assets as a normal course of business, but they aren’t necessarily an indication of new branding, badging, or product plans,” a Ford spokesperson told Drive.
Filings with Australian Government regulators show Ford Maverick Thunder is currently “under examination”, while the Ford F-150 Thunder has been accepted – but there’s a chance Ford could withdraw these in the coming weeks.
Mazda was not the first car company in Australia to use Thunder. Holden had a series of Thunder special editions of its Commodore SV6 and SS utes (a stepping stone to the Holden Special Vehicles Maloo, which is an Indigenous Australian word for thunder).
MORE: 2021 Mazda BT-50 Thunder review
The backdown over the Thunder name is not the first time Ford has had to change its badges Down Under.
The SUV known overseas as the Ford Edge was renamed as the Endura here because Toyota owned the Edge name. Mitsubishi also trademarked the Raider name recently, once used by Ford on its ute-based four-wheel-drive (now named Everest).
While the Ford Ranger Thunder is now looking unlikely for local showrooms, there is a chance the variant could still be offered here under a different name – once the marketing department has decided on what badge it should wear.
Do you have any suggestions on what the Ford Ranger Thunder should be called in Australia? Let us know in the comments section below.
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