Is Toyota building an all-new Celica sports car?

The Toyota Celica was a compact sports car manufactured by Toyota from 1970 to 2006. It was originally designed as a rear-wheel drive (RWD) coupe that was relatively inexpensive, light, and moderately powered. Consumers found it attractively designed, economical, reliable and fun to drive. Toyota even took the chassis into races – the Celica was celebrated for its rallying abilities and took its first victory at the 1982 Rally New Zealand. By 1986, the Celica had evolved into a front-wheel drive (FWD) platform but retained much of its original charm.

Toyota began producing the seventh-generation Celica in July 1999, but it gradually lost its luster. Cost cutting had made the vehicle cheaper, and the two available naturally aspirated four-cylinder engines were tuned for efficiency rather than performance. Consumer focus also shifted to SUVs and crossovers, causing a collapse in the sports coupe market. Toyota sold 52,406 Celica models in 2000, but only 3,113 units in 2005 – the Celica’s final year in the United States.

Driving enthusiasts and brand loyalists have mourned the loss of the Celica for nearly two decades, but Toyota is more than hinting at its triumphant return. Recently, Best Car asked the manufacturer’s technical director, Hiroki Nakajima, whether the vehicle was in development or not. His (translated) response: “We’re doing the Celica.” Nakajima added that the news may have been a bit premature: “To be honest, there’s no sign of that at the moment. However, there are many people in the company who are eagerly waiting for the Celica. So…I’m wondering if it’s okay to say this in a public forum, but we’re doing the Celica.”

Nakajima’s statement understandably sparked a fevered dialogue within the automotive community. Much of it revolved around speculation about what the new vehicle would look like, what engines would be offered and when it would be released. Making matters worse is that while sports cars are enjoying a new revival in the US, they still aren’t selling well in Europe – it’s difficult to justify an entirely new vehicle in limited markets. Most likely, the new Celica will be right-hand drive for its domestic and Australian markets and left-hand drive for North America (Europe may have to forgo this).

Most agree that the new Celica will retain its front-wheel drive configuration in standard trim, but expect Toyota to offer a more powerful all-wheel drive variant (perhaps using the GR Corolla’s all-wheel drive system) like the Celica All-Trac AWD available in the USA from 1988 to 1993 (these were sold mainly for homologation purposes in the WRC). With that in mind, the Celica will likely feature Toyota’s turbocharged inline-four engine currently in development – the successor to the 2JZ powerplant. The engine, which is offered with 1.5 liter and 2.0 liter displacement, can produce over 400 hp. And if it were equipped with hybrid technology, it could easily evolve even further. The transmission offering is expected to include 6-speed manual and 8-speed automatic transmissions.

The 2005 Toyota Celica GT Hatchback Coupe 2D had a base MSRP of just under $20,000 when it was last in showrooms (the top-of-the-line Celica GT-S Hatchback Coupe 2D was $23,575). Toyota may be targeting the Audi Quattro with the new Celica – both in terms of its luxury and performance – and pushing the starting price into the low $40,000 range. It’s unlikely to be a performance bargain like it was in the 1980s.

Toyota’s PR team doesn’t comment on future products, but industry experts do. When Toyota officially unveils the new eighth-generation Celica, you can expect concepts and prototypes to appear as early as the 2025 Tokyo Auto Salon (which takes place in just over a month). Insiders believe the all-new Celica will likely arrive as a 2027 model year, meaning it’s still more than a year away. We’ll keep you updated.