First the Lightning then the Thunder? A few years ago. Ford filed for U.S. trademarks on the F-150 Thunder, Ranger Thunder and Maverick Thunder names.
It never announced plans to launch any of the models, but the Thunder name paired nicely with the F-150 Lightning’s, either as a performance electric model or contrasting internal combustion engine sport truck with a loud exhaust.
The trademark applications covered “motor vehicles, namely, automobiles, pick-up trucks, electric vehicles in the nature of automobiles, pick-up trucks, sport utility vehicles, and their structural parts,” so the names could’ve been used on virtually any type of vehicle.
But now it looks like they might not be used at all. Following the discontinuation of the first generation F-150 Lightning, Ford Authority reports that the the F-150 Thunder and Maverick Thunder filings are listed by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as “abandoned because no Statement of Use or Extension Request timely filed after Notice of Allowance was issued,” although the one for the Ranger Thunder is still live. That’s not to say Ford can’t revive them, but the names are in the wind for now.
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It’s possible that it retained Ranger Thunder because it has already sold a vehicle with that name, but not in the U.S. It was a limited edition appearance package offered on the Ranger in Europe that included a sport bar, graphics and unique wheels. Just 4,500 were built.
The F-150 Lightning trademark is alive and well, however, as Ford plans to revive the model in a couple of years as an extended range electric vehicle with an internal combustion engine that works as a generator on long trips so that it doesn’t have to stop to charge.
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