Ford has taken steps to protect two names in the United States: "Badlands" and "Adrenaline."
Ford Authority first reported on the trademarks on Monday after the Blue Oval submitted the documents for filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on July 17. Neither trademark filing is associated with a current Ford nameplate, though both say their intended use is for "Land motor vehicles, namely, passenger automobiles, pick-up trucks, sport utility vehicles." Ford is in the process of cutting its passenger car offerings, so it's certain these names will find their way onto one or more SUVs or pickup trucks, should Ford decided to move forward with them.
Automakers file hundreds of trademarks at a time and they often are simply to protect rivals from using a certain name. However, there's an interesting twist in this story. Autoblog reported that General Motors originally filed for the "Badlands" trademark back in 2015. Since then, GM let the trademark application expire and did not renew its rights to the name. Now, rival Ford has swooped in to claim it.
That could indicate Ford wants to use the name for a planned production vehicle, but trademark filings are hardly confirmations for future product.
Should either name come to life, both sound like a package or trim variant, possibly like the Ford Super Duty Tremor. The Badlands name certainly has an off-road ring to it, while Adrenaline is more associated with street performance, at least in our collective minds. It's worth noting Ford released pictures (shown above) in 2005 of an Explorer Sport Track concept vehicle called the "Adrenalin" minus the final "e." That pickup was meant to succeed the F-150 Lightning with a 390-horsepower V-8, though it never saw the light of day. Later, from 2008 to 2010, Ford offered the Adrenalin package for the Explorer Sport Trac. It included 20-inch wheels, sportier interior and exterior trim, running boards, and fog lights, but it lacked true performance upgrades.