Ford Files A Trademark For Rattler Name
Ford likes to use special names for special versions of its vehicles. One of the most iconic special names Ford has is Raptor. Ford has applied the Raptor name to its smaller Ranger pickup in Europe but hasn't done so in the US. Ford has now filed a new trademark registration for another name that hints at future off-road performance vehicles going by the name "Rattler."
Ford filed the trademark application for the Rattler name on June 28, 2021, with the new application entering processing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on July 1. The USPTO noted on July 1 that the application would be assigned to an examining attorney about three months after the filing date.
While the trademark application doesn't indicate what vehicle might get the Rattler name, Ford did spell out the primary class the name would be used on, which is vehicles. Ford specifically said the trademark name would be used on pickup trucks, electric vehicles, sport-utility vehicles, off-road vehicles, and structural parts.
Ford has for a long time used the FX4 name on some of its trucks and SUVs to indicate higher-performing off-road vehicles. Perhaps the US will eventually get a version of the Ranger Raptor Europe enjoys under the Ranger Rattler name. However, with the trademark application spelling out electric vehicles, there is a possibility that the new hybrid Ford Maverick small pickup might turn up with a hotter version aimed at more off-road use of the Maverick Rattler.
While there's no clear indication for now of what vehicle the Rattler name might turn up on, our money would be on a version of the Maverick. The small Maverick pickup is everything trucks used to be decades ago in that it is capable and low cost. It's also worth noting that filing a trademark is no guarantee the Rattle name will ever be used on a Ford vehicle.