Could Toyota be interested in bringing back another iconic performance car from its past? Japanese outlet Best Car Web claims that a new Toyota Celica is on the table, with recent comments from Toyota’s new president supporting the concept of another sporty coupe.
After Akio Toyoda stepped down from his role as Toyota’s president and CEO earlier this year, enthusiasts were left wondering what direction new president Koji Sato would take Toyota in. On the one hand, Sato was the chief engineer on the incredible Lexus LC. On the other, talk of Toyota becoming a mobility company scared some of the more diehard petrolheads. Guess what? Sato is an enthusiast himself, so Toyota’s enthusiast future still looks bright.
Best Car Web reports that during a recent round of the All Japan Rally Championship, Toyota president Koji Sato said, “I want to revive Celica.” While this isn’t the first time we’ve heard reports of Celica dreams from a high-ranking Toyota employee, this three-door confidence from Sato offers evidence that the Celica dream is still alive within Toyota. At the same event, chairman Akio Toyoda reportedly talked about his love for the Celica, so it seems that Sato may not be alone here.
It’s worth noting that Best Car Web predictions can be hit-or-miss, but Toyota’s reported response to Celica questioning lends some plausibility to this forecast. The standard automaker response for speculation like this is either something along the lines of “we cannot comment on future product” or sometimes a simple “no.” Toyota’s reported statement? “The new president of Lexus and the GR company, Sato, has the intention of continuing to release GR sports models.” Hmm.
If Toyota were to launch a new Celica, its sporty car lineup would be partying like it’s 1987 again. That’s the last year the iconic AE86 Corolla, Celica, and Supra were all sold alongside each other. Granted, it’s likely that a possible future Celica wouldn’t be rear-wheel-drive, but there’s nothing wrong with that. The Celica GR-Four models were monsters and even the final-generation 2ZZ-GE-powered Celica GT-S revved out to a zesty 8,200 rpm.
Mind you, it’s also possible that a future Toyota coupe might not be powered by an internal-combustion engine at all. Given the automotive industry’s focus on electrification, a sporty electric vehicle of some sort doesn’t sound off the table in the future. While Toyota’s already shown off a targa-topped EV sports car concept with mid-engined styling, I wouldn’t expect a Celica to adopt such a radical form. Still, the electric sports car concept that debuted in 2021 showcases Toyota’s future performance car aspirations.
I reckon it’s just too soon to say whether or not a new Celica might happen. On the one hand, publicly-expressed sentiment is favorable for the concept of a new Celica. On the other, I’m having trouble seeing where such a product would fit in the Toyota lineup. The GR86 is already a reasonably-priced sports coupe, the GR Corolla and GR Yaris have the all-wheel-drive thing on lock, and the Celica historically hasn’t overshadowed its Supra big brother. Plus, I’m sure Toyota’s shareholders would be happier seeing an expanded mass-market EV lineup before another sporty car comes to fruition.
Still, never say never. Five years ago, the concept that the only Japanese automaker still making a top-shelf all-wheel-drive compact performance car would be Toyota seemed unthinkable. Yet here we are, with the GR Corolla. A new Celica could be an awesome, all-Toyota alternative to the GR86, and a sweet sight on the roads. There are still Celica fans out there dying for a new one, so Toyota, if you’re listening, make it happen.
[Ed note: I can’t believe this post is mostly photos of the Seventh Gen Celica. Thomas! Here are some more generation photos, including the perfect 6th-Gen Car.
– MH]
(Photo credits: Toyota, Cars & Bids)
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As much as I’m of the opinion it’s pronounced “Sell-Ick-Uh,” just build an EV coupe (to not have to worry about how it fits in against the current ICE performance cars) and call it the CelEca.
Thanks for the added pictures Matt. Just before I got to them I was thinking that it was an odd choice to sing the praises of the Celica and only include pictures of the worst looking one.
Not only that, the 1st Gen MR-2 was also available from your local Toyota dealer at the same time! Those were the days.
I don’t know why I like 6th gen Celicas (well, honestly, it’s probably because they came out when I was a kid), but I really like the way the headlights blend into the bonnet
My first brand new factory fresh car was a 1976 Celica Liftback with a five speed and A/C. Thought I was hot stuff. I would love to see a Celica revival but I don’t see it fitting into their lineup unless they went the full retro route like the Hyundai Pony concept.
As long as it’s a liftback, I’m cool.
Yes please, it’s the one single most annoying thing about my GT86.
Which they could have easily called a Celica and I’d have been just as happy.
Can’t help but notice no mention of it being a 2-door sports car in the information from Toyota.
This could be awesome!!! I hope they bring back the GT4/AllTrac
I think the latest Prius is basically the new Celica, but with 4 doors
I was thinking sort of the same. Take the new Prius, lose the rear doors (nobody can find/use those stupid door handles anyway), maybe shorten the platform (or maybe not), tune the suspension for corners, offer the same selection of propulsion with maybe a hotted up version and voila Celica. Oh, and find a way to incorporate a MT even if it’s silly with the drive train.
Same exact thoughts while reading this article. The new Prius is like 80% of the way there. It’s even lightweight (if only relatively speaking, as car mass has ballooned worse than Easter mass). I’ve already got it on my watch list for car shopping next year.
It may be the best-looking Prius, and the most fuel efficient, but it compromised on its interior space (rear headroom and cargo volume) to get those looks.
Plus, I can’t imagine the ~6 second 0-60 and bigger tires helped in making it more fuel efficient. I speculate they could’ve done even better fuel economy if they stuck with smaller tires like prior gens. (I welcome refutation though because I am definitely not an engineer)
Miss my ’01 GT sooo much. Literally bought one of the first BRZ to fill that void in my life. Would gladly buy a new Celica, FWD or otherwise!
Not sure who the editor is here no initials. But 100% right. Are they interested in a Celica or a sporty 2 door coupe? Ford released a new Mustang they call a Mustang but nothing like any Mustang before. The Ford TBird small 2 seater coupe to a land yacht. So does Toyota want to slap an iconic label to a new car or do they want to reintroduce a sporty 2 door coupe to compete against Miata.
Also why no stories about Mazdas plans for the Miata down the road?
Toyota makes some of the ugliest cars on the planet, but every celica has aged incredibly well. The only other Toyota that can hold a candle to the celica is the land cruiser.
If they are smart, they will wait and see how the Integra name plays out on a bloated mid-size sedan.
I mean, the Integra was available as either a 4 or 5-door for its first 3 generations, even if they weren’t what first comes to mind when someone says “Integra”. The Celica has never had 4 or 5 doors so making a new Celica in the image of the new Integra would feel like even more of a betrayal. I guess the Integra has the baggage of the Acura nameplate as well, so it has to try to be sporty and luxe, while the Celica just has to be sporty.
But with the impending disappearance of the Camaro and the Challenger, I feel like the Mustang needs at least one affordable coupe competitor, even if it isn’t a pony car. I’d be into the emergence of a Mustang vs Celica rivalry.
Make a new MR2, cowards.
This. Please Toyota?
I bought all the other MR2s, even the stupid one with no roof, storage or chassis rigidity. I’d definitely buy a new one.
I mean the Fiata is gone, maybe the MRiata2 would do better? Or does it have to have the motor out back?
My high school car was a 1988 Celica with a 5 speed manual. Very cool looking car. But JESUS was that a SLOW car. Slow as in pretty slow for a sporty-looking car. I traded it in on a 1996 Tacoma- the small, plain jane stripper model with a 5 speed and 4 banger engine. I almost lost control of it getting out of the dealer lot because I was so used to stomping the gas on the Celica to get it to go and the Tacoma totally did a burnout.
The 1988 GT-S model was pretty peppy with that 5-speed.
I mean Japanese manufacturers might as well ride this gravy train for as long as they can. The amount of hype and good will they’ve been riding lately when it comes to sporty cars is probably the highest it’s been in 20 years…and I might say even longer because a lot of the early 2000s stuff that‘s widely considered iconic today wasn’t necessarily as well regarded in its heyday. Everyone liked the S2000 but stuff like the Integra Type R that people are currently paying new CTR prices or more for wasn’t all that well known until pretty recently.
Those are Honda examples but tomato tomato. Japanese cars are absolutely the hottest thing in semi-affordable performance today and it’s not even close…and as long as the JDM fanboys keep lining up around the block to pay well over MSRP for Toyobarus, GRCs, CTRs, etc. they might as well ride the wave for as far as it’ll carry them.
Hell there are rumors that Honda is about to unveil a pair of sports cars. Until people stop buying this stuff they might as well push it as far as it’ll go. Do I personally think all of this is getting a little ridiculous? Absolutely. I think in 10 years we’re going to look back on some of the outrageous car media circle jerk/buying frenzy around some of these cars and go “huh?”. But from a business standpoint this makes perfect sense.
If I was running Honda, Toyota, Subaru, or Nissan I’d be digging up every single name that has a sports or even sports adjacent legacy and fast tracking out a million different GR/S/R/Celica/Z/etc. models. Throw a manual transmission in all of them and call it a day. They’ll sell every single one, likely at more than MSRP. They’ve got lightning in a bottle right now.
ITR has always been a total legend and commanded primo $. And disagree, every single honda fan boi I know absolutely HATES the new integra, myself included. If they actually do a good job tho…..
https://www.carthrottle.com/post/dare-we-dream-of-a-new-honda-integra-that-looks-this-good/
This is what people would line up to actually buy.
Well at least you admit you are a Honda Fan Boi. That says a lot.
There was no GR four Calica. You mean GT Four
There was no Calica. You mean Celica.
What are the odds on who they would get to make it for them…Honda? Mazda?
I kid I kid…:)
go lower, maybe GM China or GM Daewoo
Sorry but I just don’t buy the argument of a Celica revival without taking price in consideration. Let’s say Toyota commits to the S-FR that David wrote about for old, funny Jalopnik (https://jalopnik.com/what-the-hell-happened-to-the-toyota-s-fr-1827889142), then they could have a hit on their hands if the price is considerably less than a GR86.
One engine, one transmission option (6MT of course) just like a Chevy Trax and a consistent ‘base’ price of $22k. Let Toyota disrupt the industry once again.
The new Celicacross is going to be something else.
/ducks
Tying back to the news about Toyota’s reluctance to go full-electric and focus on hybrids, I could see using a shortened Prius as a base for a 2-door, sporty-ish, hatch. Keep the same power numbers as the AWD Prius, in a lighter, smaller body, and you could have some decent, efficient, reliable fun.
Man, I was JUST typing something similar!
I think it makes perfect sense, as it shouldn’t cost THAT much to bring to market and it’d be one hellva sporty compact!
I hate to admit that this makes a ton of sense. Gold star for you.
So basically a CR-Z without the suck.
I feel like this is what makes the most sense. Too close to the GR86 in concept otherwise. Unless this is what will “replace” the GR86 so they can have a sporty offering that works in more markets.
About a year and a half ago when they showed a bunch of EV concepts, there was a small Sports EV – but that seemed more like an MR2 followup. A hybrid Celica doesn’t seem like it would be a big lift to produce. Wonder if they’d even test pairing the hybrid powertrain to a small displacement turbo instead of the 2.0 or 2.5 for some extra pep over the Prius. (The 2.4T Hybrid Max as seen in the Crown Platinum, upcoming Grand Highlander, etc. would be especially cool, but almost certainly beyond what they’d actually put out.)
What, no third gen photos? LOL. As you know, I’m a Celica owner, and they are great cars. It fits a niche — sporty car with great handling at a reasonable price point.
Um. I can’t agree that the Celica was a performance car at all. It was the car people bought instead of a Mustang II or something. They sold that All Trac version, but aside from that, they were a boring “personal luxury” car that had more content than the competition and, being Toyota, was also reliable. In the 80s, they were the “secretary special”.
I’d love to see the Celica reintroduced because the world needs small coupes, but they’re going to have to leave its old image behind and build a new one. Their AE is probably more like the “performance car” we want than any version ever built of the Celica beyond the All Trac.
In 1982 one of those secretaries was a chap called Bjorn Waldegard. His office was in New Zealand.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0efglpkoXJ8&t=57s
I owned a 1988 Celica. Can confirm. There was very little sporty about it. It was rather slow. Basically a econo car with a sporty look.
Maybe not in regular form but the Celica GT-4 was the first Japanese car to win WRC titles so absolutely a performance car and a great one.
The GR86 should have just been called the Celica from the beginning, or, at least since Scion got the axe.
Not sure why Toyota left all that brand equity on the table, since they’re usually so good with that stuff (the Corolla has been the Corolla for 57 years, how many competing small car nameplates have Ford and Chevy cycled through in that time in an effort to flush consumers’ memories clean of previous failures?)
I talked to a Toyota tech last year who expressed the same sentiment — the GR86 should have been the GR Celica.
As the former owner of a 2000 Celica GT-S 6MT, which got everything right except for the driven wheels, I’ve also said that. The FRS/86 is clearly the spiritual successor to the original RWD fastback concept, and needs only a hybrid drivetrain with about 60hp of front motors to justify reviving the GT-4 moniker.
I already think the GR86 is basically a Celica for the now, if they renamed it with the next body refresh and got rid of the flat four in favor of maybe the Corolla GR motor in RWD and AWD format, then I would not hate that. Add in a plug in hybrid motor on the front wheels like an E-Ray and bam, Bob’s your uncle.
Bob’s not my uncle… Herbert is!