General Motors has once again filed a trademark application for the Cheyenne nameplate with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, according to documents first spotted by Muscle Cars & Trucks on Thursday.

Filed April 16, the application covers "motor land vehicles, namely, trucks." As with all automotive trademark applications, though, this doesn't mean GM has any immediate plans to use the Cheyenne name on a production vehicle.

What could a new Chevy Cheyenne be? Muscle Cars & Trucks suggested GM could be planning a smaller pickup to rival the upcoming Ford Maverick (which recycles a name from the Blue Oval's past). Chevy has also confirmed plans for an electric pickup, but the company has also said it will use the Silverado name. Cheyenne could also become an option package on any GM pickup. However, given that sports teams have dropped American Indian-based names, using the Cheyenne name on a new pickup seems out of step with the times.

As with recent Ford Thunderbird and Toyota Celica trademark filings, this may be a case of an automaker looking to protect a historically significant name, rather than moving to bring that name back on a new production vehicle.

Chevrolet Silverado Cheyenne concept, 2013 SEMA

Chevrolet Silverado Cheyenne concept, 2013 SEMA

GM began using the Cheyenne name on Chevrolet C/K full-size pickup trucks in 1971, and it also used the name on a 2003 concept pickup. The name was last used for a 2013 SEMA performance-truck concept based on a 2014 Chevy Silverado 1500. That truck featured lowered suspension, upgraded brakes, and a 420-horsepower V-8 to show off the Silverado's tuning potential.

This isn't the only time GM has applied to trademark the Cheyenne name recently. It filed for the trademark on Nov. 22, 2016, Jan. 25, 2013, and July 14, 2009, Muscle Cars & Trucks noted, adding that GM also filed a trademark application for the Scottsdale name in 2018, after abandoning it in 2015. Nothing has come to fruition with those trademarks. Time will tell if this time will be any different.