Toyota has hinted at a new, eighth-generation Celica for the last few years. Company executives started showing their interest in 2023, and then, in late 2024, Toyota’s chief technology officer just blurted it out: “We will make the Celica.”
Since then, Toyota and its executives have been quiet about the car. Dealers supposedly saw the vehicle last year, and development prototypes are already on the road. Most recently, Toyota was caught testing a new rally car that further fueled speculation about the Celica’s return; the Celica raced in the World Rally Championship in the late 1980s and early 1990s to great success.
We know Toyota wants to expand its GR lineup, spinning off Gazoo Racing into a separate performance brand, which will need products. There were rumors that the new Celica could be mid-engine, but that doesn’t seem like the case anymore now that Toyota has confirmed a new mid-engine car is in development, which is still four to five years away.
That likely means Toyota’s next GR product could be the new Celica Mk8. The automaker has been talking about it long enough, and it seems we are closer than ever to the car’s return. Here’s everything we know about the new Celica.
What Will Toyota Call It?
Photo by: Toyota
Toyota will call its new sports car the Celica, with the automaker already trademarking the GR Celica name in certain countries. Toyota first used the Celica name over half a century ago. The first-generation model, launched in 1971, was a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive coupe that would last for seven generations.
The Celica would leave the American market after the 2005 model year due to declining sales. In its last year, the coupe had a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that produced up to 180 horsepower in the GT-S.
What Could The New Celica Look Like?
New Toyota Celica Rendering By Motor1
Photo by: Theophilus Chin | Motor1
If the new Celica is anything like its predecessor, it will be a simple front-engine, rear-wheel-drive coupe. Our renderings depict the Toyota as a small two-door featuring the brand’s latest styling, such as the Hammerhead front-end design with slim headlights.
The rear features a full-width light bar, a pair of large exhaust outlets, and a sloping roofline. It’s sleek, but the Celica’s design could mimic the rally car Toyota is testing. The rally car is taller, but it’s also just a body shell around the chassis that might have exaggerated elements, like widened fenders, that won’t make it onto the production vehicle.
Inside, we expect the Celica to have a driver-focused cabin with a digital display and an infotainment screen on the dashboard. It should have sporty seats and paddle shifters for automatic-equipped cars.
What Will Power The New Celica?
Toyota is developing 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter four-cylinder engines, with the automaker offering the smaller one in naturally aspirated and turbocharged flavors. The turbocharged 2.0-liter engine, called the G20E, is allegedly derived from Toyota’s three-cylinder G16E that powers the current GR Yaris and GR Corolla, and is the likelier powertrain.
Toyota has said the new G20E could make between 400 and 450 horsepower, with a larger turbocharger capable of increasing that to more than 600 hp. There’s also the possibility of electrification, with rumors suggesting the new Celica will have a hybrid powertrain capable of 500 hp. We expect manual and automatic transmission options, with all-wheel drive likely.
The automaker first announced the G20E in 2024 as part of a family of new, smaller, more efficient engines. One report alleged that the new powertrain would begin appearing in Toyota vehicles by the end of 2026, and while the automaker continues to develop the engine, it successfully tested it in competition last October.
How Much Could It Cost?
Toyota’s performance lineup in the United States currently consists of the GR86, GR Corolla, and GR Supra (for now). That leaves little room for a fourth offering, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the Celica ends up costing more than the GR Corolla and starting in the low- to mid-$40,000 range.
The GR86 currently starts at $30,000, while the Corolla starts at around $40,000. Toyota said it plans to develop a next-generation Supra model, which currently starts at just under $60,000, leaving room for an additional performance offering.
When Will The New Celica Debut?
While Toyota has dropped plenty of hints that it is developing a new Celica, it has not provided any details about when it could debut. Development prototypes are already on the road, and dealers got a sneak peek at the car last June.
At the time, Toyota’s vice president of product planning in North America said the sports car was in “pretty advanced development.” While nothing has been confirmed, including whether it will even go on sale in the United States, we would not be shocked if the automaker unveiled it later this year or early next.
