General Motors Trademarks Tribute Name, But What For?

Remember the Tribute? It was Mazda’s SUV and a twin to the Ford Escape/Maverick that was in production from 2000 to 2011.

Now, though, the name has been trademarked with the United States Patent and Trademark Office by General Motors, according to AutoGuide.

GM’s move comes six years after Mazda lost the rights to use the moniker, and it can used on “motor land vehicles, namely, automobiles, sport utility vehicles, trucks, vans, engines therefore and structural parts thereof”, the publication reveals.

This means that we have no idea about what it will be used for, no timeframe for when it will arrive, and no hint whatsoever whether it will be a Buick, Chevrolet or GMC. Given that Cadillac’s using an alphanumeric naming conversion, it’s probably safe to assume that we won’t see a Caddy Tribute.

The Mazda Tribute replaced the Navaro in the United States and Mexico. In turn, it was succeeded by the CX-7 in Asian markets and by the CX-5 in Americas and Europe. It was put together in Claycomo, Missouri, USA, and it was offered as a hybrid, too. The last time the Tribute was updated was in 2009, with tweaks meant to improve its performance and make it more competitive for the next two years, before production ceased.

Now, we’ll take a wild guess and say it’ll be used on an SUV or a truck. Does anyone have any ideas?

Note: Mazda Tribute pictured