Will the upcoming Toyota Supra be joined by a smaller Celica sibling? If a recent trademark filing by Toyota is anything to go by, then the answer may be yes.On August 31, Toyota filed a standard character mark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the Celica nameplate, indicating an intention to use the moniker. Where the company plans to affix the long-dormant label remains a mystery.
One possibility is that the next-generation 86 sports coupe may be renamed the Celica. After all, the original Celica was a rear-wheel-drive sports coupe. Still, given Toyota’s large global investment in the 86 moniker, we’re hesitant to believe the brand’s entry-level sports coupe will see a name change.
Despite the Celica’s rear-wheel-drive origins, we’d wager Toyota is more likely to use the name on a sports coupe that follows in the footsteps of later Celicas. In other words, if the brand does make a new Celica, we suspect it will be resurrected as a front-wheel-drive sports coupe (like the 1990 model pictured above). Expect such a car to ride on the Toyota New Global Architecture that currently underpins the Camry, the C-HR, and the Prius, not to mention the next-generation Corolla.
Of course, this is just speculation. For all we know, the brand will follow in the tire tracks of the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross and put the Celica badge on a crossover SUV. Or it may simply adorn a concept car not intended for production. Or it may languish in trademark purgatory while it waits to be attached to a Toyota product. But now that a new Supra is on the way, we’re excited by the notion that the Celica name also will return.
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