GM trademarks Riviera name

Autoblog reader Ed sent us this screen shot from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, showing that General Motors has apparently trademarked the name Riviera for use on automobiles. It's no secret that the Riviera name resonates well with anyone familiar with Buick's history, and since the production coupe's death in 1999, the name Riviera has only been resurrected once for the 2007 concept car you see here.

So, why is GM registering the Riviera name again? Your guess is as good as ours. As GM Inside News points out, it could be nothing – automakers will, from time to time, trademark a host of words or alphanumeric sequences (Ford, for example, has trademarked everything from MKA to MKZ for potential Lincoln use). But then again, this isn't the first (or second, or third) time that we've heard rumors about Buick potentially adding a coupe to its lineup, and the Riviera name would certainly be appropriate.