Posted on: Sep 24, 2012 | 13,231 reads

Chrysler Patents Hint at Future Plans

Chrysler 100, Crossroad, 8 Mile, Detroit Motor Works, Wrangler Freedom Edition, and Ram ProMaster and ProMaster City among trademarks which the Auburn Hills automaker has applied for.

Automakers try their best to keep their future plans under wraps until they're good and ready to reveal them to us (the press) and you (the public). But corporations are not airtight, and leaks will inevitably happen. One of the ways those secrets leak out is when automakers apply for patents and trademarks at government offices, whose records are often public. The latest leaks revolve around the Chrysler Group, which has reportedly registered a number of new names to keep them ready for new vehicles it may be launching in the near future.

more at CarBuzz:
Car Washer Wrecks Bentley GTC Chris Harris Drives Ford Fiesta ST Student Envisages Modern Moretti EV

Among those nameplates are Chrysler 100, Crossroad, 8 Mile, Detroit Motor Works, Wrangler Freedom Edition, and Ram ProMaster and ProMaster City. Some of these we can wrap out heads around, but some leave us scratching them instead. Chrysler 100, for example, seems like a no-brainer, as the Pentastar automaker is known to be planning a smaller sedan to slot in below the 200 and 300. We don't know what the Crossroad might be, but considering that Chrysler once made a Crossfire - remember that oddly-shaped coupe based on the old Mercedes SLK? - the name doesn't strike us as much of a stretch. (We're thinking crossover.)

The Ram ProMaster, meanwhile, will likely be a re-badged version of the Fiat Ducato to replace the Sprinter (built by former sister/parent-company Mercedes-Benz) and rival the new Ford Transit. The ProMaster City, meanwhile, should take on the Ford Transit Connect with a rebadged Fiat Doblo or Fiorino. The Jeep Wrangler Freedom Edition is a model already on the market, but the names 8 Mile and Detroit Motor Works have our interests piqued. Naming a car after southern Michigan's trailer parks, no matter how popularized they became from that Eminem movie, doesn't strike us as a good idea.

Beyond the low-rent association, the name seems to imply that the car will only go eight miles before breaking down, running out of steam or getting stolen. Detroit Motor Works sounds more intriguing, but we still have no idea to what it might apply. A series of hardcore special editions? Maybe. The closest comparison that comes to mind is the John Cooper Works line of performance Minis, but the Chrysler Group already has the SRT division, so we'll have to wait and see.