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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.

Cadillac teases CT4 and CT5 V-Series Blackwing steering wheel

There's quite a bit that we know about the upcoming Cadillac V-Series Blackwing models. Thanks to spy shooters and prototypes, we've seen the CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwing out and about testing on public roads, which means we've seen the bronze wheels in staggered sizes. We've been told they will offer proper manual transmissions, and we know they will lap a race track quicker than the ATS-V and CTS-V they replace. And now we know what their steering wheels will look like. It's not much to base an entire teaser on, but there are a few interesting tidbits we can glean from Caddy's first official Blackwing tease. First, the wheel itself. It's leather wrapped (not Alcantra, at least on this example), it looks to have meaty bulges where you'll want to grip it, it has a red strip at the top to help locate straight ahead while driving aggressively, and it has a carbon fiber V-shaped spoke at the bottom. Finally, we see a prominent silver button labeled "V" on the left side that will allow drivers to quickly access V-Mode. To the right will be buttons for the Performance Traction Management system. Judging by the fuzzy background behind the wheel that shows some sort of digital gauge cluster, it seems that Cadillac may be aiming for a 200-mile-per-hour top speed for the CT5-V. That's not a stretch, as the last-generation CTS-V could hit that speed, too. Cadillac smartly took this shot in a way that blurs the center console, which means there's plenty more time to speculate on the transmission choices. Cadillac says the V-Series Blackwing models will be ready in time for the summer of 2021. Stay tuned. Related Video:  

Cadillac to expand V-Series but discontinue CTS-V and ATS-V

Cadillac said Tuesday it will expand its V-Series performance sub-brand with the arrival of the CT6-V sedan in 2019 ( formerly known as the CT6 V-Sport), with plans to add high-performance variants across its portfolio. The flipside to that expansion is the sunsetting of its two existing V-Series performance cars, the ATS-V (both coupe and convertible) and CTS-V sedan. Two new unspecified sedans will slot below the CT6 in Cadillac's lineup, a spokesman said. The CT6-V will arrive next spring, roughly a year after it bowed at the New York auto show. It will feature Cadillac's new "Blackwing" V8, a twin-turbo engine that displaces 4.2 liters and produces an estimated 550 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque, sending it through GM's new 10-speed automatic transmission to drive all four wheels. A less-aggressive version of the engine will also appear in the CT6 Platinum model, offering 500 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque. "Beginning with the debut of the CTS-V Sedan in 2004, the V-Series sub-brand sparked new life into Cadillac," Mark Reuss, executive vice president and president of GM Global Automotive Group and Cadillac, said in a statement. "As a result of the overwhelming response the CT6 V-Sport received when revealed in early 2018, we've decided to formally make it a V-Series, signaling the expansion of V-Series." View 61 Photos A Cadillac spokesman tells Autoblog the 2019 model year will be the last for the ATS-V and CTS-V. The ATS-V is powered by a twin-turbo 3.6-liter V6 that's good for 464 hp and 445 lb-ft of torque, an increase of 262 hp and 173 lb-ft from the base, four-cylinder ATS, which is also set to go to pasture at the end of the 2018 model year. The CTS-V, meanwhile, boasts a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 under its carbon-fiber hood that puts out 640 horsepower and 630 pound-feet of torque, good for a 3.7-second 0-60 mph time and a top speed of 200 mph. In a Quick Spin review last year, Autoblog Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore called the car "old-school muscle in an Esquire-approved suit. It's 'roids and cufflinks." As for what's next for an expanded V-Series, Cadillac has the new XT4 crossover, and already other companies are banking on performance versions of crossovers. Cadillac's also developing a less expensive luxury sports sedan called the CT5. It's also said to be planning a production version of the Escala concept starting in late 2021, so those could be possibilities.