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Honda 'TrailSport' name trademarked, likely previewing more rugged SUVs

Will this line perhaps respond to the recent reveal of the Subaru Wilderness trim?

Sean Szymkowski
It all started with Gran Turismo. From those early PlayStation days, Sean was drawn to anything with four wheels. Prior to joining the Roadshow team, he was a freelance contributor for Motor Authority, The Car Connection and Green Car Reports. As for what's in the garage, Sean owns a 2016 Chevrolet SS, and yes, it has Holden badges.
Sean Szymkowski
2021 Honda Pilot
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2021 Honda Pilot

Something more rugged than this comes our way.

Honda

Let's be honest: "Rugged" isn't the first word many think of when they hear "." But consumers are all about trucks and SUVs these days, and branding matters. It sure seems like Honda's getting ready to launch something to beef up the connection after the trademark application for the "TrailSport" name surfaced.

CarBuzz first spotted the trademark application on Wednesday, though Honda filed for the rights with the US Patent and Trademark Office back in March. It's your typical filing, noting Honda wants to use the name on "land vehicles," but what provides more clues this will be for SUVs and trucks is, well, the explicit terminology in the document. The name will grace "namely, sport utility vehicles, automobiles , trucks and structural parts for the foregoing," according to the application.

Honda quietly launched an effort to position its utility vehicles as more rugged machines with the latest Passport midsize SUV, followed by the refreshed 2022 Ridgeline pickup. A TrailSport variant will likely first show up on some sort of rugged Pilot before it trickles down to other SUVs. Still, I have a hard time even imaging the humble CR-V with any sort of rugged appeal. But, if can do it with a RAV4 TRD Off-Road trim, Honda can surely create its own spin on the formula, too.

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