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Chrysler registers Trackhawk trademark

There may not be many ways to forecast what an automaker is planning for the future, but there are some. Trademark applications are one of them, and Chrysler has just applied with the US Patent and Trademark Office to protect the name "Trackhawk." The question is, what's it planning on using it for? We don't know for sure, but we can put together an educated guess or two. And one guess is that Jeep will use the name to replace the letters SRT on the performance version of the Grand Cherokee.
How do we figure, you ask? From a number of developments. For starters, the SRT division has been reintegrated into the Dodge brand. Those letters currently appear on only two vehicles from outside the Dodge lineup: one is the Grand Cherokee SRT, and the other is the Chrysler 300 SRT. We've heard ruminations (however unconfirmed) that the latter could be either discontinued or possibly relabeled, and if the same proves true of the GC, the Trackhawk name could serve as a on-road performance counterpart to the Trailhawk label applied to off-road versions of models like the Cherokee and Renegade.
Logical it may be, but it's hardly a foregone conclusion. The Trackhawk name could just as easily be used for a new concept (like the Trailhawk name was in 2007), for another kind of trim level or for something else entirely. In fact we don't even know for sure it'll be used by the Jeep brand specifically, or used at all for that matter. Automakers have been known, after all, to register names they don't end up using.

FCA plotting larger Jeep Renegade, Fiat 500XL

The joint development of the new Jeep Renegade and Fiat 500X goes to show what the combined efforts of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles group can yield. But don't expect the Italian-American automaker to stop there. According to Autocar, the company is planning to base another pair of larger SUVs on the same platform. The Jeep version would take the place of the previous Compass and Patriot, slotting in between the Renegade and Cherokee. Meanwhile, the Fiat version would further bolster the Cinquecento lineup to sit alongside the 500 hatchback, 500L minivan and 500X crossover. Details remain few and far between at the moment, but they wouldn't be the extent of the growth plans for either brand. Jeep is reportedly zeroing in on a decision on the long-rumored sub-Renegade model, while also preparing to expand up-market with the return of the Grand Wagoneer. Fiat is reportedly abandoning the prospect of offering a full model line as it once did. While the 500 range will continue to form a vital part of the brand's business, it's also tipped to be going after the no-frills, bare-bones market dominated by Renault's Dacia brand. To that end, it would seek to build upon the Panda by offering a larger, but still low-cost hatchback to rival the Ford Focus and VW Golf, and succeed the discontinued Fiat Bravo, but based on the 500L's platform and built in Turkey to keep costs down. This second pillar of the Fiat brand wouldn't likely be offered in the US, however, where we'd expect the 500 line to continue representing the Italian automaker. Related Video:

GMC wants to target Jeep with compact crossover

GMC execs might consider adding a Jeep competitor to the range, but rather than new rumors of a Wrangler-fighter, this time the Professional Grade brand could go after the Renegade. Division boss Duncan Aldred would like to broaden the brand's lineup with a subcompact crossover. "I keep telling everyone, 'How can General Motors' truck brand not be in the fastest-growing segment in the industry, an SUV segment," he said to Automotive News but wouldn't confirm whether the model was under development. General Motors already offers small crossovers like the Chevrolet Trax and Buick Encore, but the CUV segment in general continues to drive auto sales in the US. Adding a similarly sized GMC to the mix might increase the automaker's volume by appealing to different customers. "A GMC buyer is very different from a Buick buyer. This is like comparing the Fiat 500X to the Jeep Renegade. They are very similar but appeal to different people," Dave Sullivan, Product Analysis Manager at AutoPacific, told Autoblog. Aldred started the speculation about a Wrangler-fighting model in an interview in late 2014, and the company reportedly even raised the idea of an offroad-focused vehicle to dealers to see how they reacted. The development process was only in the very early planning stages, but the brand considered using Hummer for a little of the new product's inspiration. Aldred later suggested to journalists the possibility of adding a compact or midsize SUV to the GMC range in the next 10 years to appeal to more buyers. He didn't comment directly on the possibility of the Wrangler-challenger at the time beyond saying: "I can't confirm that ... everything's on the table." Related Video: