Is the Toyota Celica coming back as the next-gen GT86/86 sports car?

Or is Toyota preparing something else?

Just like Supra, the Celica nameplate holds a certain weight among Toyota sports car aficionados and when we caught word of Toyota’s trademark filing for the “Celica” name, our interest soared.

Derived from the Latin coelica which means “celestial” or “heavenly,” the nameplate has been trademark-protected since 1971, but those rights expired on March 11, 2016, according to autoevolution.

Car and Driver reports that Toyota filed a standard character mark involving the Celica moniker on August 31, 2017, so from here on, the rumors went flying.

Objectively, there are three avenues the Japanese might take trying to put the name to good use.

One possibility is a concept car named Celica – don’t be surprised if it showcases self-driving abilities and whatnot, while another one could involve a successor for the outgoing Toyota GT86 (Toyota 86 in the US of A).

The third and least happy scenario (in our book, at least) is Toyota pulling a Mitsubishi and giving the Celica name to an SUV or crossover, just like Mitsubishi did with the Eclipse Cross.

So far, everything’s down to pure speculation, but we won’t close the subject just yet as new info could emerge at any time.

In the meantime, you might want to read more about Toyota’s upcoming Supra sports car co-developed with BMW.