Fortunately for Ford, Ford Tough’s not Tough Enough

Here’s a new iteration of brand hijacking. What happens when your brand is a central element of a terrorist plot?

From the Associated Press:

RALEIGH, N.C. — A University of North Carolina graduate accused of running down nine people on campus in a sport utility vehicle rented the Jeep to inflict maximum injury, according to an affidavit released Tuesday. Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar, a 22-year-old Iran native, told authorities he drove a rented Jeep Grand Cherokee because it had four-wheel drive and could "run things over and keep going," according to an application for a warrant to search his home and vehicle.

The other auto brands might be a little offended, though it’s hardly the best PR. We’ll see how much longer this stays in the news. Meanwhile, I wonder if Jeep sales actually spike. I can just see American consumers thinking, "Hey, if it can run over nine college kids, it can definitely get through a couple inches of snow."