Toyota trademarks Celica name – revival happening?

Just a few days after Toyota’s anime hinted at the return of some of its iconic sports cars, Australia’s Drive now reports that the company has now filed a trademark for the Celica name, suggesting a revival of the nameplate.

It should be noted that it isn’t uncommon for car companies to file trademarks to protect a specific name. Toyota re-trademarked the Celica name in the United States back in 2021, but the most recent one is timely and will likely reignite speculation, especially considering the aforementioned anime.

On October 3 this year, Toyota released the first episode of season two of its GRIP anime series, and in one of the scenes, a whiteboard placed behind Master Rugu had a list that includes the Supra Mk6, Celica Mk8, MR2 Mk4, GR86 Mk3 and GR GT3.

The Celica was previously produced between 1970 and 2006 across seven generations, and it has been mentioned in the past that the company wants to bring out an eighth generation to create a new “Three Brothers,” which referred to a 90s trio of sports cars, namely the Supra, Celica and MR2.

Insider information from Japan’s Best Car magazine this year suggested a 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine would make its way into future Celica and MR2 models. For now, there is no official confirmation that anything of the sort will be happening, so we will have to wait and see whether Toyota has anything in store for enthusiasts.

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