Work On The New Toyota Celica Is Underway After 18 Years Of Waiting

Toyota fans and car enthusiasts in general rejoice! The Japanese automaker says an all new Celica is coming 18 years after the car was killed in 2004. Toyota’s vice president confirmed that it is working on a new Celica while speaking at this weekend’s Rally Japan. There have been rumblings about the Celica’s return for years, but it seems we’ve finally got some concrete news on the matter.

In recent weeks, Toyota has dropped hints that it was planning to revive the Celica and MR2 nameplates while keeping the GR86 and GR Supra in its lineup, according to Autocar. That is just fantastic news, isn’t it folks? In a recent episode of Toyota’s self-published cartoon, called “Grip,” Autocar says a whiteboard containing a list of new models is show that lists out a Supra Mk6, Celica Mk8, MR2 Mk4, GR86 Mk3 and a GR GT3. Who knows what those cars will end up being, but it sure is exciting nonetheless. Apparently, the whiteboard scene features Master Rugu, who trains the show’s protagonist during their battle against autonomous race cars. Sick.

Here’s what Yuki Nakajima, Toyota’s vice president, said to the crowd at Rally Japan, according to Autocar:

“We’re making the Celica!”

He added: “To be honest, there is no sign of it right now. However, there are many people within the company who are eagerly awaiting the Celica. So… I wonder if it’s okay to say this in a public forum, but we’re doing the Celica!”

Chairman Akio Toyoda – who was the main driving force behind the creation of GR – apparently said he wanted to revive the “three brothers,” i.e. the Celica, MR2 and Supra, according to Autocar. He’s a third of the way there right now, so fingers crossed he can finish the job.

Toyota has – for a while now – been debating on just how to bring the Celica back, as Autocar explains:

Toyota has been debating whether to press a new Celica into production on a new electric car platform that opens up “lots of different possibilities”.

Key to this architecture is a low seat height, enabling a more traditional sports cars experience. The FT-Se concept revealed at last year’s Tokyo motor show sits 75mm lower than the Porsche 718 Cayman. Its design is split into three modules, with single-piece front and rear ends.

This “allows us to be more extreme”, Shinya Ito, general manager of Lexus Electrified, told Autocar last year.

The new platform will also be used for a cab-forward two-seat sports car that channels the spirit of the MR2 and is based on the FT-Se concept. However, it won’t necessarily revive the MR2 name.

There’s more interesting news, too. During Rally Japan, attendees were allowed to ask questions as well. Someone in the audience asked the panel what the next-generation GR86 will be like – especially what sort of motor it would have. Here’s what was said, according to Japanese magazine Best Car:

The microphone was passed to driver (and team manager) Kazuya Oshima, who is currently competing in the Super Taikyu Series with the GR86 for “ORC ROOKIE Racing,” who replied, “We’re currently working on a lot of things (regarding the next-generation GR86 and its engine), mainly on the circuit.”

In response, Chairman Toyoda said, “I don’t really understand. This is a question from Best Car. I think I should ask an executive officer,” and passed the microphone back to Executive Vice President Nakajima on stage. And then…

“At this year’s (2024) Tokyo Auto Salon, I asked Morizo ​​(Chairman Toyoda Akio), ‘Which is your favorite engine, the one you would like to leave to the next generation?’ He replied, ‘Subaru’s horizontally opposed engine and Mazda’s rotary engine.’ There were no Toyota engines!! This inspired all of Toyota’s engine developers. We will create an engine that Morizo ​​will want to leave behind. It’s not a matter of whether we can release it or not, or whether we will leave it behind or not, but we are going to release it!’

I know there isn’t very much money in enthusiast-oriented sports cars, so it’s very refreshing to see an automaker going out of its way to make fun and interesting cars for weirdos like us.