Is there a new Toyota Celica on the way?



The name Celica, stirring up driving passion and motorsport heritage, has again been filed at the US Patent and Trademark office (USTPO). The first filing at the same registry was noticed over three years ago.

Speculation has been stirring in the media lately of a new Celica on the way – one that has ceased to exist since the mid-2000s – but we wouldn’t bet on it just yet.

This practice however is often just routine housekeeping, ensuring that Toyota continues to have rights over the Celica name and trademark. Curious to know what the Celica name means? Find it out here plus other Toyota models.

We should also not be expecting a performance-tuned Celica anytime soon, as Toyota’s latest direction in performance vehicle line-up bear the ‘GR’ naming convention such as the GR Supra, the GR Yaris and proposed GR86. The filing papers had no mention of the GR prefix.

The Celica moniker dates back to half a century, with the first Toyota bearing the Celica name back in 1970. The coupe was introduced in the US to compete with “pony cars” of the generation such as Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird.

Nissan joined the party a few years later with the Datsun 280Z. The third-generation Celica moved further upmarket and began using the Supra nameplate, while the fourth to sixth generation Celica models were fondly remembered as rally rockets with its all-wheel drive traction. They also frequently won rally championships.

Another speculation is the bodytype that will feature the Celica nameplate. Mitsubishi brought back the Eclipse nameplate back in 2018, but the reincarnation is actually a crossover, a huge departure from its coupe origin.

That being said, Mitsubishi was careful to name the vehicle Eclipse Cross to keep things well defined and the fans happy.

Toyota retired the Celica coupe back in 2006, with the 7th generation sizzled down to a simple front-wheel drive coupe with a 190 hp 1.8-litre engine.


GALLERY