Connect with us

Cadillac Files Trademarks on 13 New Car Names

(Credit: © Cadillac)

Car Manufacturer News

Cadillac Files Trademarks on 13 New Car Names

Cadillac Badge

Cadillac Badge (Credit: © Cadillac)

Name changing has been a popular thing among luxury carmakers in recent years. We first saw some mild changes in BMW’s naming system, then we saw Infiniti completely change its lineup with the new Q and QX scheme, and just recently Mercedes announced its own naming change with the GL prefix moving across its entire SUV range. We also learned a while back that Cadillac was planning its own new naming system, but we were unaware of just how grand the changes would be until Cadillac filed for trademarks on 13 new model names, not including the CT6 that we already know about.

As we learned before, Cadillac will move to a naming system similar to the one Infiniti moved to, where cars will carry a “CT” prefix and SUVs will carry the “XT” prefix. Following the prefix will be a number that relates to the model’s position within the lineup, with the larger number being the more premium model. According to the filings, Cadillac presumably will expand from only four base cars and two base SUVs to at least seven of each, as the luxury brand filed trademarks on the following names: CT2, CT3, CT4, CT5, CT7, CT8, XT2, XT3, XT4, XT5, XT6, XT7, and XT8. This list, of course, doesn’t include the already announced CT6 sedan.

What’s interesting is that Cadillac boss, Johan de Nysschen already announced that the Escalade’s name will remain unchanged because of the equity behind it. If he stays true to this claim, then that would put Caddy’s total model count as high as 15 by the time the lineup is complete, putting it about a handful shy of the number of classes offered by Mercedes and slightly above the number of base models offered by BMW and Audi.

Before you get excited about Cadillac offering up to 15 models, I have to let you know that all of the new filings are Filing Basis 44D, except the CT5 and the already-known CT6, which are filed as 1B. The 44D basis means that they were filed in a foreign country and Cadillac notified the trademark office that they are indeed trademarked in another country in order to protect the names here in the U.S. This loophole allows Cadillac to hold a names by registering them in a country with looser trademark laws, but is not required to show intent to use the names in order to register them. If it had registered them as a 1B basis, it would be legally required to show intent to use the names. Ah, sneaky Cadillac… So essentially, Cadillac could scrap whatever names it decides not to move forward with and convert the ones it plans to keep into 1B filings here in the U.S..

We’ll see how this all unfolds and we’ll bring you all of the details on these new names as they come out.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

More in Car Manufacturer News

SPONSORED

Newsletter

Get Our StoriesIn Your Inbox

Subscribe for our latest news, reviews, and lists.

Popular Stories

Recent Posts

SPONSORED
To Top