After years of speculation, we now have official confirmation of the Celica’s return
Toyota has been teasing the return of the Celica for over a year. In an October 2023 interview with Best Car magazine, Chairman Akio Toyoda revealed that he had urged company executives to bring back the iconic sports car. Similarly, President Tsuneji Sato publicly expressed his desire to revive the Celica last year. Adding to the speculation, the term “Celica Mk8” briefly appeared on a whiteboard in a recent episode of Toyota’s Grip anime series.
Now, Best Car reports that Toyota has confirmed the Celica’s revival. When the magazine asked Akio Toyoda about the long-rumored project, he declined to answer and instead deferred to Chief Technology Officer Hiroki Nakajima. Nakajima’s response was direct: “We will make the Celica.”
Realizing the announcement might not have been timed perfectly, Toyota’s Chief Technology Officer added, “So I wonder if it’s okay for me to say this.” This revealing statement was reportedly made during the 2024 Rally Japan festivities at the Toyota Stadium in Aichi Prefecture. It’s the most substantial hint yet that Toyota is preparing to revive the Celica name.
During the same event, attendees were allowed to ask questions. The audience inquired about Toyota’s plans for the next-generation GR86, specifically whether it would continue to have rear-wheel drive and whether it would be turbocharged or not. Best Car reports Gazoo Racing driver Kazuya Oshima took the microphone and said the development team is “currently working on various things.”
Toyota has gone on record to say it’s working on a new family of small four-cylinder engines with 1.5- and 2.0-liter displacements. One of the beefier powertrains has already been tested in a stripped-down Lexus IS, which didn’t sound half bad. The 2.0 unit will be turbocharged whereas the 1.5 is expected to come with and without forced induction.
Toyota’s Grip anime series we mentioned in the beginning also included a “GR86 Mk3,” a “Supra Mk6,” and even an “MR2 Mk4.” The list ended with a “GR GT3,” which is expected to be a Toyota race car with a street-legal Lexus equivalent, purportedly called “LFR.”
