I feel like General Motors has done a good job lately of introducing impressive new models like the 2014 Cadillac CTS while still paying homage to their past with cars like the Camaro Z/28 and the Corvette Stingray. Now there's evidence that another storied GM nameplate might make a comeback: the Chevrolet Chevelle.
The folks over at GM Authority got themselves a nice scoop when they reported that a trademark application for the Chevelle name is moving even closer to getting finalized. They haven't made a Chevelle since 1977. The trademark application was first filed in December.
Could this mean that GM is just trying to secure the name so that someone else — say, a shitty nu-metal band from the early 2000s — doesn't put it on their own cars? GM Authority doesn't think so, and here's why:
For starters, companies no longer file for trademarks for the sake of filing, or in the name of corporate protection/security — since today’s trademark environment is significantly different than that of the days of yore. Today, in order to complete the registration of a trademark, the applicant must file a legal document called a “Statement of Use”, or SOU. This document specifically requests that the applicant demonstrate the current (not future, or planned) business reason (most commonly defined as the trademark’s use for a real product) for the applicant being granted the trademark. Without an SOU, a trademark will not be granted. Of note is the fact that the applicant has the ability to prolong the time it has to file an SOU by six terms, each lasting six months, or a total of 36 months (3 years).
Very interesting. But it's important to remain skeptical here. Chevrolet has toyed with a Chevelle revival before, including a mysterious 2004 design study that looked very Camaro-ish.
And as much as I'd like to see the Chevelle make a comeback as a sub-Camaro rear-wheel-drive coupe — perhaps an SS version with a turbo V6, if not a V8 — we have no guarantee the name won't be used in some other way. Just look at the Dodge Dart, which went from being a muscle car in the 1960s and 70s to being a front-wheel-drive compact with a Fiat engine today.
Who here wants to see a Chevelle revival?
Photo credit Chad Horwedel