The revival of the iconic Toyota Celica may be closer than ever, fuelled by a recent trademark filing in Brazil by Toyota. This filing, dated January 15th, 2025, adds to a growing list of evidence suggesting the revival of the legendary sports car is imminent.
The most recent trademark filing covers the name “GR Celica,” indicating that the new model, if it comes to fruition, may carry the GR performance badge.
Toyota has been dropping hints about the Celica’s return for some time. An in-house short anime series teased the so-called Celica Mk8, and company executives have publicly expressed their desire to revive the nameplate. In May 2023, Toyota CEO President, Koji Sato stated, “I want to revive the Celica,” while Chairman Akio Toyoda declared, “We will make the Celica.”
While Toyota has not officially confirmed the Celica’s return, the combination of executive statements and the recent trademark filings strongly suggests that the company is actively working on this.
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Sources suggest that the rumoured powertrain for the next-generation Toyota Celica could be a new 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four engine. This engine is likely related to the next-generation engines Toyota is developing for its hybrid powertrains, similar to the G20E engine found in the mid-engined GR Yaris M Concept, displayed at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon.
That midship GR Yaris concept, by the way, has also been rumoured to be a testbed for the next-generation mid-engined Toyota MR2. Together with the Supra, it really does seem like Toyota is planning to revive its “Three Brothers”.
ALSO READ: This camouflaged Toyota GR Yaris may be hiding the next-generation Toyota MR2 underneath
