Revival rumoured for famous Ford names
AS FORD REINVENTS the Mustang coupé and prepares to electrify its Puma ST hot crossover, the manufacturer could soon bring back several other historic nameplates to its portfolio.
Last year, Ford’s Europe design chief, Murat Gueler, told Autocar that reviving old monikers could be a shrewd marketing ploy for the firm. “I think we have the unique asset of having nameplates from the past that we can tap into to emotionalise our product,” he said, “and to tell stories no other brand can tell.”
At the time, he refused to be drawn on which would make a comeback, but Ford recently filed to trademark a selection of names linked to some of its best-selling European models: Cortina, Granada, Escort, Capri and Orion.
This could be a move purely to stop other companies using them and a spokesperson told Autocar that “the registration of intellectual property is not a signal for any future product plans”.
But with a Europe-focused electric crossover on the way, sitting atop Volkswagen’s MEB platform and built at the same Cologne site that made the Capri, Granada and even Scorpio, Ford could look to spiritually link the newcomer with a successful ancestor.