Could the Toyota Celica Finally Make a Comeback?
What’s missing from the Toyota lineup? If you answered the Toyota Celica, you’ve gotten it right. The Celica name could make a return in the near future, providing us with the third great Toyota sports car.
Toyota has hinted at having three sports cars in its lineup for more than a decade. The debut of the Scion FR-S allowed the brand to have a compact sports coupe that has now become the GR86. The return of the Supra name was met with excitement and huge fanfare, adding the larger and more powerful sports car to the mix. The only thing missing is a car that splits the difference between the two.
What about the other GR models?
Since the return of the Supra and the addition of the GR name to the 86, Toyota has released two other cars wearing Gazoo Racing badging. These cars come with more than enough power to split the difference between the GR86 and GR Supra models. The GR Yaris was offered in many foreign markets, but not the United States, and the GR Corolla became the third GR model in the United States and fourth in Toyota’s most recent lineup. Could this mean Toyota already has its trio of sports cars, and we aren’t waiting for anything else? Not at all.
The Celica is coming
Although the brand hasn’t said much publicly about a Toyota Celica return, some information has come out that shows it should be one of the next cars coming down the pipeline. The new model hasn’t been approved by the company’s boardroom yet, but it is in active development and some Toyota team members are deeply involved in the project. That doesn’t mean the Celica is actually on the way, nor does it mean that it won’t make it to production. Both or neither could be true.
The new car might not even wear the Celica name when it finally arrives if it does. Still, Toyota is working on something that hints at a third sports car that doesn’t have a regular model from which to build.
Duality from Toyota leadership
Its been a year since Toyota vice president Yuki Nakajima, mentioned that a new Celica was coming, but he also mentioned that there was no sign of it yet. More recently, Toyota North America’s Vice President of Product Planning and Strategy mentioned that work was continuing on the car, but said the brand hasn’t “figured out how to pull it off if it gets approved.”
It seems that a name like the Toyota Celica would be easy to sell, but for some reason when Toyota mentions progress on the car it comes with hedging on the statement and working backwards. This should make you wonder what Toyota isn’t tell use about the car that’s in development Still, despite the constant backstepping, there are some at Toyota that would live to see this car hit the market soon.
There’s very little information
According to MotorTrend, some dealers have seen concept versions of this new car, and some testing mules are driving around, but they are doing so in secret. So far, the leaks that tend to happen when a new car is in development aren’t happening for this new Toyota. Whether it becomes a Celica or another name, this secret car has our attention and could be an interesting addition to the mix.
What is known about this new car?
The only thing that anyone in the public actually knows about the car that could become the next Toyota Celica is that t is sporty. That doesn’t tell anyone very much at all. This new car could be a hybrid, an electric sports car, or it might have a more traditional powertrain setup. We could see a new sedan with a sporty bend offered, or it could fit in with the GR86 and GR Supra as a two-door sports coupe.
Will it be the third brother?
If neither the GR Yaris or GR Corolla actually fill the position as the third Toyota sports car, then we’re waiting for this car to arrive. Keeping this new car a secret only enhances our intrigue at what it might be. If Toyota wants enthusiasts to show their desire for a new Celica, they’re starting out the right way. Teasing the public has been part of new car releases or several years and this is certainly what’s happening.
The media attention surrounding the possibility of a new Toyota Celica arriving on the market certainly increases the chances that it will arrive sometime in the future. Still, there isn’t any information that supports a 100% chance of the Celica returning to the market. Are you looking forward to the next sports car from Toyota?
