Ford Ranger Bushtrak name trademarked: Off-road spec could join Raptor and Tremor

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The Ford Ranger Bushtrak could be on the way to showrooms after the car maker added the name to its swag of trim levels in South Africa.

Following Ford's confirmation of the limited-edition Ranger Stormtrak for Australia aboard the upcoming Ranger PHEV, the 'Bushtrak' and 'Ranger Bushtrak' names have been filed for trademark registration in South Africa according to website Cars.co.za.

The 'Ranger Bushtrak' badge was officially registered in late 2023, while 'Bushtrak' as a stand-alone name – where it could make its way to the Ranger-based Ford Everest SUV – remains pending.

Ford announced earlier this week the Ranger Stormtrak PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) will be one of four trim levels of the new Ranger PHEV available in Australia from launch in early 2025.

While Ford Australia would not make any official comment when approached by Drive, the name suggests a model with an off-road focus similar to the Ranger Tremor offered both in Australia and South Africa.

The Ranger Tremor arrives in Australian showrooms this month as a special edition limited to 1150 units, pairing a 2.0-litre bi-turbo four-cylinder diesel with the more sophisticated of the Ranger’s two four-wheel drive setups.

The clutch-based system combinines two-wheel drive (2H), four-wheel drive (4H or 4L) or on-demand all-wheel-drive (4A) functions, and multiple traction control modes. Unlike most ute rivals, this setup is able to drive all four wheels on sealed surfaces.

South Africa is important for Ranger as one of three global manufacturing sites for the vehicle, with the Ford pick-up also made in the United States and Thailand, where Australian-market Rangers come from.

While Ranger was the best-selling vehicle in Australia in 2023 – toppling the Toyota HiLux from its eight-year reign at the top – it was runner-up to the HiLux in South Africa.

In the battle to win over pick-up buyers – or ‘bakkies’ as they are known in South Africa – an increasingly wider choice of Ranger and HiLux models have appeared in showrooms.

Many limited-edition Rangers found in South Africa have also appeared in Australia – and vice versa – including the Wildtrak X and Tremor versions.

Tremor is also the latest name to be shared across the Ranger and Everest SUV in Australia.

The Everest line-up in South Africa follows Ranger designations on all models starting with the entry-level ‘XLT’ – a name used on Ranger and F-Series pick-ups.

Ford Australia still uses ‘Ambiente’ and ‘Trend’ on Everest, names taken from the car maker’s now-defunct passenger car line including the Fiesta, Focus and Mondeo.

Ranger and Everest also share the ‘Sport’, ‘Wildtrak’ and premium-pitched ‘Platinum’ trim levels in both Australia and South Africa.

The news from Cars.co.za follows Ford registering 'Ranger Super Duty' in the Philippines in mid 2024.

Ford South Africa also has the ‘Thunder’ name – used in Australia on special editions of the Commodore-based Holden Ute – at its disposal, having used it on the previous generation Ranger.

The post Ford Ranger Bushtrak name trademarked: Off-road spec could join Raptor and Tremor appeared first on Drive.