When the rugged Porsche 911 Dakar test vehicle hit the road for the first time, many of us believed it would be nicknamed ‘Safari’ – a logical and expected reference to the company’s rally racing past. According to Edmunds, the company did want to use the name – but Tata Motors said no.
As it turned out, the Indian automotive giant already had a global trademark ‘Safari’ registered that it put on various vehicles. Porsche had intended to sign a deal with Tata Motors to make an exception for its newest rally-focused 911, but the companies never reached an agreement.
The other moniker was itself problematic, since the trademark ‘Dakar’ belonged to the organization behind the Dakar Rally. Still, Porsche ultimately agreed to pay a certain undisclosed amount for the right to keep this nameplate on its 911.
