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Bring back the Bronco! Trademarks we hope are actually (someday) future car names

Trademark filings are the tea leaves of the auto industry. Read them carefully – and interpret them correctly – and you might be previewing an automaker's future product plans. Yes, they're routinely filed to maintain the rights to an iconic name. And sometimes they're only for toys and clothing. But not always. Sometimes, the truth is right in front of us. The trademark is required because a company actually wants to use the name on a new car. With that in mind, here's a list of intriguing trademark filings we want to see go from paperwork to production reality. Trademark: Bronco Company: Ford Previous Use: The Bronco was a long-running SUV that lived from 1966-1996. It's one of America's original SUVs and was responsible for the increased popularity of the segment. Still, it's best known as O.J. Simpson's would-be getaway car. We think: The Bronco was an icon. Everyone seems to want a Wrangler-fighter – Ford used to have a good one. Enough time has passed that the O.J. police chase isn't the immediate image conjured by the Bronco anymore. Even if we're doing a wish list in no particular order, the Bronco still finds its way to the top. For now (unfortunately), it's just federal paperwork. Rumors on this one can get especially heated. The official word from a Ford spokesman is: "Companies renew trademark filings to maintain ownership and control of the mark, even if it is not currently used. Ford values the iconic Bronco name and history." Trademarks: Aviator, AV8R Company: Ford Previous Use: The Aviator was one of the shortest-run Lincolns ever, lasting for the 2003-2005 model years. It never found the sales success of the Ford Explorer, with which it shared a platform. We Think: The Aviator name no longer fits with Lincoln's naming nomenclature. Too bad, it's better than any other name Lincoln currently uses, save for its former big brother, the Navigator. Perhaps we're barking up the wrong tree, though. Ford has made several customized, aviation themed-Mustangs in the past, including one called the Mustang AV8R in 2008, which had cues from the US Air Force's F-22 Raptor fighter jet. It sold for $500,000 at auction, and the glass roof – which is reminiscent of a fighter jet cockpit – helped Ford popularize the feature. Trademark: EcoBeast Company: Ford Previous Use: None by major carmakers.

Junkyard Gem: 2000 Buick Regal GSE

Except for a break from 2005 through 2010, and an indefinite break after this year, The General has been selling the Buick Regal since the 1973 model year. From 1988 to 2005, the Regal rode on the same GM W-Body front-wheel-drive platform as the Chevy Impala and Pontiac Grand Prix, and some of the more interesting W Regals came with ever-hairier versions of GM's supercharged Buick V6 engine. These Eaton-blown Regals were big, comfortable and quick, but they've nearly disappeared from roads by now. I found this 2000 GSE, the kingliest Regal of that year, in a Colorado self-service yard last month. Some junkyard shopper had already grabbed the Eaton M90 blower from this car by the time I got here, because everyone wants a blower or nine stashed in the garage (I have five at the moment). If you're looking to junkyard-supercharge your AMC Pacer wagon race car and use a Soviet truck carburetor for fuel delivery, the Eaton M90 is about the easiest to remove from the junkyard and the easiest to rig up on the car. This engine made 240 horsepower when new, giving the Regal GSE quarter-mile times below the 15-second mark. The price of the 2000 Regal GSE started at $25,300, or about $38,640 in 2020 dollars. You could get the same engine engine and chassis with the Pontiac Grand Prix GTP sedan for $24,610, giving you near-identical performance and a sportier (but less dignified) look. Buick didn't bother making a manual transmission available in any North American W-Body Regal after the 1993 model year. This reduced the fun level in these cars, but probably spared owners a lot of broken axles, CV joints, and hubs. This car has the optional Monsoon speaker system, also found in some Volkswagens of the same era. Apparently Monsoon systems for home computers were all the rage during the early 2000s. Did the Oshawa plant lift that "One grade only and that the best" slogan from the Canadian Corps in Passchendaele in '17? It sounds like a Commonwealth slogan of an earlier era. This car looks pretty good inside and out, but most Colorado buyers seeking a powerful used four-door these days seek out trucks. It doesn't take much of a mechanical problem (or accumulation of parking tickets) to doom a car like today's Junkyard Gem. So many features!

March Madness upsets good for auto advertisers

There are no Cinderella teams left in the NCAA men's basketball tournament - the fairytales ended with Georgia State's loss to Xavier over the weekend. And even though the Sweet 16 is composed of elite teams - at the time of writing the lowest-ranked squad is 11th-seeded UCLA, which has most championships of any school in the country - there are still underdogs and surprises, and they are good for NCAA business and advertisers. Last year the March Madness Live app, which allows users to watch games on the go, was downloaded 4.5 million times, a jump of more than 40 percent over 2013. Buick sponsors the iOS version of the app, but more than a million of those downloads were for the Android version, sponsored by Infiniti since 2011. Part of Buick's engagement is a "Boss Button" on the livestream sites that can quickly mask the page with something your boss won't question you over. It also sponsors a trick-shot competition for fans, has a display in Bracket Town during the Final Four, and its cars lead the team buses through the city. Infiniti said last year's tourney increased online searches for the brand by 25 percent in March, and things are going even better this year: it's round-by-round bracket game drew 477,859 total entries in 2014, this year's game has signed up 534,350 already and the tournament has another two weeks to go. The luxury brand is all over the event, promoting the QX60 through to the Final Four, then moving its efforts to the Q50. It sponsors the Coaches vs. Cancer charity and will have an Infiniti Lounge near the Final Four venue in downtown Indianapolis. So for the two automakers keeping their own scores... come on, Wichita State! Six brackets, six chances to win a trip to #FinalFour 2016. Official rules at http://t.co/4b9GyGJ4wP. #RoundByRound https://t.co/ZCsFatVlja - Infiniti USA (@InfinitiUSA) March 19, 2015 News Source: Automotive News - sub. req. Marketing/Advertising Buick Infiniti app sports ncaa march madness