Trackhawk And Trailhawk Confusion: Wrong Move Jeep?

Comparing a Jeep to a bird, illogical

When Dodge launched the Hellcats, everybody knew what they were talking about. It was a name that clearly distinguished it from all the other 5000 performance models on offer by the brand. This week Jeep launched their own version of the Hellcat ideology, slapped straight into a Grand Cherokee, and calling it something new while at it. A launch that ensued into mass fails, all due to Trackhawk and Trailhawk being mixed up.

Automotive brands regularly launch names, only to change them later on due to various reasons. Mercedes-Benz is a relatively recent example of that, changing its 450 AMG-sub label to the 43 label. This happened as the models weren’t perceived as something different enough, something Jeep might now experience too.The Trackhawk and Trailhawk confusion is a bit different than what other brands recently had to deal with though. It’s also the media mixing up the names, big media included. Although most of them have caught up with their mistakes, just Google the recent news history and the confusion is visible (for now).

A Jeep wearing a Hawk-ish name is something special, something that fills a niche. But it would seem that the world isn’t capable of setting apart the types of hawks. Dodge would have a hard time explaining the difference between a Hellcat and a Hellhound too. Whether or not Jeep will change the name is something only time will tell, but this confusion sure isn’t what they hoped for.