Toyota has mentioned another likely sports car revival off the back of the company's renewed interest in combustion engines.
The eighth generation Toyota Celica, another coupe, is expected to be shown at next year’s Tokyo Auto Salon, according to Japanese outlet BestCar.
This rumour follows the mooted rebirth of MR2, Starlet Turbo and new sub-86 S-FR that are all set to join Toyota existing GR Supra, GR 86, Corolla and Yaris.
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Toyota Celica 1994 Review
What shape the new Celica will take, though, is less sure. The name has taken various forms throughout the years; those around in the 70s will remember it as a sleek rear-drive coupe colloquially known as the Japanese Mustang.
Fans of the WRC and Group A era racing are more likely to remember the fourth, fifth and sixth generations that spawned Toyota’s infamous ‘3S-GTE’ powered Celica GT-Four rally car, codenamed either ST165, ST185 or ST205 depending on the model.
Noughties kids might recall the angular front-drive seventh-gen coupe popular in the Fast & Furious and Need For Speed franchises.
From the report, it seems Toyota is more likely to go down the WRC-era route for the new Celica’s revival. BestCar’s often reliable speculation points to the new Celica featuring the GR-Four active torque split all-wheel drive system found in the GR Yaris and Corolla.
However, rather than just a coupe Corolla (as the fifth and sixth-gen Celica effectively were) it sounds like the new two-door will feature a bigger, 2.0-litre engine producing around 300kW that was announced last year and then confirmed this week by Toyota.
This powertrain has reportedly been in development for some time and is ready for release, however there’s no car for it to currently sit in – a new Celica would fit the bill. It would also give the coupe a point-of-difference to the hardcore GR Corolla and Yaris.
Positioning the new Celica as a luxury alternative to GR products would make sense. The GR 86 has taken the reins from where the old Celica sat and there’s a big gap up to the rear-drive $90K Supra.
An all-wheel drive coupe with leather upholstery, 2+2 seating arrangement and the option of automatic or manual transmission for about $70K could prove a success.
Only time will tell if Toyota puts the Celica into production – we’ll have more info by Tokyo Auto Salon 2025.
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