Ford’s pending application to trademark the Ranger “Bushtrak” badge in South Africa potentially hints at a mysterious new (local?) version of the Silverton-built bakkie…
Ford has a habit of punctuating its Silverton-built Ranger bakkie line-up with special derivatives (think Tremor, Wildtrak X and the like). Now, based on trademark filings unearthed by Cars.co.za, another new derivative may well be on the cards for South Africa: the Ranger Bushtrak.
Yes, the Blue Oval brand filed to trademark both the “Bushtrak” and “Ranger Bushtrak” badges in South Africa back in December 2021. The former was officially registered in September 2023, while the latter is currently pending registration (though it should be registered within the next few months).
Of course, Ford already holds the rights to the “Wildtrak” and “Wildtrak X” nameplates in Mzansi, along with “Wolftrak” (registered in September 2023, though not yet used locally, despite featuring on the previous-gen Ranger in certain overseas markets). The company also applied to trademark “Stormtrak” and “Thunder” – badges likewise used on the P375-gen model – in South Africa, though these have technically yet to be officially registered.
What makes the “Ranger Bushtrak” filing particularly interestingly, however, is that we can find no record of applications to trademark this badge in any country other than South Africa. That’s not the case with the other nameplates mentioned above, which are all used (or once were used) in various other markets around the world.
So, could this be a new Ranger derivative developed specifically for South Africa? If so, we’d speculate the “Bushtrak” name could point to a variant endowed with enhanced off-road capabilities, though that base is technically already well covered by the Tremor and Wildtrak X, both of which feature full-time 4×4, Bilstein position-sensitive dampers, a wider track, steel underbody protection and all-terrain tyres.
Of course, we should keep in mind that Ford’s “Bushtrak” trademark filing is by no means confirmation that it will indeed use this badge in Mzansi, with several potential scenarios at play here. For instance, the name could perhaps relate to a shelved project based on the previous-gen Ranger or the Dearborn-based firm may simply be protecting a badge for which it has no specific, immediate plans.
So, perhaps the Bushtrak nameplate will never see the light of day – here in South Africa or indeed anywhere in the world. Or perhaps Ford will roll out a special-edition Ranger wearing this badge in the not-too-distant future. We’ll just have to wait and see…
Related content
South Africa’s 10 best-selling bakkies in August 2024
