New Toyota Trademark Application Fuels More Celica Rumors
It has been almost 20 years since the last Toyota Celica roamed the streets, but a reecent trademark application lends more credibility to rumors that we may see a new sporty coupe soon. Motor1 found the application, dated January 15, for the GR Celica name in Brazil, and while documents like these aren’t a concrete indication that a vehicle is coming, this one tracks with the piles of rumors that have been floating around for the last couple of years.
The GR Celica trademark application is just the latest in Toyota’s series of Celica-related actions, including a worldwide trademark on the name that landed late last year. Rumors have pointed to a Celica revival, and it wouldn’t be out of character for Toyota, which has become a beacon of hope for enthusiasts in recent years with its GR performance models, including the Supra, Corolla, and GR86 here in the United States.
We don’t have any confirmation or details from Toyota, but the automaker likely already has all of the necessary elements to produce a compelling sports car in-house. Some rumors have suggested that the GR Corolla’s turbo-three engine and all-wheel drive could make an appearance in a GR-Four variant, and we’ll likely see a manual transmission of some sort, depending on the configuration.
[Images: Toyota]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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Marketing: Corolla Cross is not gaining much attention in the marketplace.
Executive: Can we dust off the Celica name?
Legal: Let me look... yes we own that mark, so no problem, good to go!
Purchasing: I'll order the badges.
Everyone: Lunch?
I'm imagining a coupe based on the Prius that could be a rival to the upcoming Honda Prelude.